bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early Vascular Aging and Risk Factors Among a Population Aged 50 and Below in Kailuan Study
Authors: Zheng Meng-yi , Zhao Quan-hui , Liu Ying-chi , Song Yong-jian , Zhao Mao-xiang , Ma Yi-han , Huang Jian-huan , Chen Ze-kai , Wu Shou-ling
Published: September 2020

Background

To examine the frequency of early vascular aging and risk factors in an adult population with age ≤50 years old in Kailuan.

Methods

A total of 21,952 subjects aged ≤50 years without previous history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and having completed brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity test in 2010–2016 were recruited. The mean plus 2 standard deviations (mean + 2SD) of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity in 1,813 healthy population without hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and smoking were calculated and used as the reference value for early vascular aging. The stepwise regression multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors for early vascular aging in different age and gender groups.

Results

The average detection rate of early vascular aging in this population was 15.0% with 12.9% in 30 years or less, 14.8% between 30 and 40 years, and 15.6% between 40 and 50 years. Furthermore, age, male, resting heart rate, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes were risk factors for early vascular aging with odds ratio values (95% confidence interval) of 1.02 (1.01–1.03), 2.51 (2.10–3.00), 1.04 (1.03–1.04), 1.09 (1.05–1.13), 1.11 (1.04–1.20), 1.05 (1.00–1.11), 3.55 (3.13–4.03), and 1.69 (1.38–2.08), respectively. The risk factors for early vascular aging in women with gestational hypertension were 4.27 times higher than those in women without (95% confidence interval 1.34–13.53).

Conclusions

The frequency of early vascular aging is 15.0% in adult population ≤50 years old. Risk factors for early vascular aging include age, male, resting heart rate, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and in women, the pregnancy-induced hypertension.
Bacnet: a user-friendly platform for building multi-omics websites
Authors: Danès Loane , Tchitchek Nicolas , Bécavin Christophe
Published: September 2020

To face up to the exponential growth of heterogeneous datasets of various organisms, we developed a user-friendly platform for building multi-omics websites, which is named Bacnet. This platform helps bioinformaticians to construct four key web interfaces: (i) an interactive genome viewer; (ii) an expression and protein atlas; (iii) an interface for analysis of co-expression network; (iv) an interface for exploring homolog presence. We believe our platform will help the bioinformaticians to construct personalized user interfaces dedicated to biologists studying non-reference organisms.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/becavin-lab/bacnet; Java; Eclipse RAP; Eclipse RCP.
Neighbourhoods in the yeast regulatory network in different physiological states
Authors: Lesk Arthur M , Konagurthu Arun S
Published: September 2020

Motivation

The gene expression regulatory network in yeast controls the selective implementation of the information contained in the genome sequence. We seek to understand how, in different physiological states, the network reconfigures itself to produce a different proteome.

Results

This article analyses this reconfiguration, focussing on changes in the local structure of the network. In particular, we define, extract and compare the 1-neighbourhoods of each transcription factor, where a 1-neighbourhood of a node in a network is the minimal subgraph of the network containing all nodes connected to the central node by an edge. We report the similarities and differences in the topologies and connectivities of these neighbourhoods in five physiological states for which data are available: cell cycle, DNA damage, stress response, diauxic shift and sporulation. Based on our analysis, it seems apt to regard the components of the regulatory network as ‘software’, and the responses to changes in state, ‘reprogramming’.
BP4RNAseq: a babysitter package for retrospective and newly generated RNA-seq data analyses using both alignment-based and alignment-free quantification method
Authors: Sun Shanwen , Xu Lei , Zou Quan , Wang Guohua
Published: September 2020

Processing raw reads of RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data, no matter public or newly sequenced data, involves a lot of specialized tools and technical configurations that are often unfamiliar and time-consuming to learn for non-bioinformatics researchers. Here, we develop the R package BP4RNAseq, which integrates the state-of-art tools from both alignment-based and alignment-free quantification workflows. The BP4RNAseq package is a highly automated tool using an optimized pipeline to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of RNA-seq analyses. It can take only two non-technical parameters and output six formatted gene expression quantification at gene and transcript levels. The package applies to both retrospective and newly generated bulk RNA-seq data analyses and is also applicable for single-cell RNA-seq analyses. It, therefore, greatly facilitates the application of RNA-seq.

Availability and implementation

The BP4RNAseq package for R and its documentation are freely available at https://github.com/sunshanwen/BP4RNAseq.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The synapse in traumatic brain injury
Authors: Jamjoom Aimun A B , Rhodes Jonathan , Andrews Peter J D , Grant Seth G N
Published: September 2020

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide and is a risk factor for dementia later in life. Research into the pathophysiology of TBI has focused on the impact of injury on the neuron. However, recent advances have shown that TBI has a major impact on synapse structure and function through a combination of the immediate mechanical insult and the ensuing secondary injury processes, leading to synapse loss. In this review, we highlight the role of the synapse in TBI pathophysiology with a focus on the confluence of multiple secondary injury processes including excitotoxicity, inflammation and oxidative stress. The primary insult triggers a cascade of events in each of these secondary processes and we discuss the complex interplay that occurs at the synapse. We also examine how the synapse is impacted by traumatic axonal injury and the role it may play in the spread of tau after TBI. We propose that astrocytes play a crucial role by mediating both synapse loss and recovery. Finally, we highlight recent developments in the field including synapse molecular imaging, fluid biomarkers and therapeutics. In particular, we discuss advances in our understanding of synapse diversity and suggest that the new technology of synaptome mapping may prove useful in identifying synapses that are vulnerable or resistant to TBI.
Psychosocial health of adolescents in relation to underweight, overweight/obese status: the EU NET ADB survey
Authors: Drosopoulou Georgia , Sergentanis Theodoros N , Mastorakos Georgios , Vlachopapadopoulou Elpis , Michalacos Stefanos , Tzavara Chara , Bacopoulou Flora , Psaltopoulou Theodora , Tsitsika Artemis
Published: September 2020

Background

Both deviations from normal weight, namely, underweight and overweight/obese status, have been inversely associated with psychosocial health in adolescents. This study aimed to examine the relationship between psychosocial health and body mass index (BMI) among adolescents in five European countries, while assessing the effect of sociodemographic variables.

Methods

A cross-sectional school-based study of adolescents aged 14–17.9 years was conducted in the framework of the European Network for Adolescent Addictive Behavior survey. Self-reported questionnaires from Greece, Iceland, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain were used for the current analysis. Associations between Youth Self-Report (YSR) scales and BMI status were investigated by multiple logistic regression analysis. The effect of sociodemographic variables was also measured.

Results

Τhe sample consisted of 7005 adolescents aged 14–17.9 years. Borderline/clinical scores on some YSR scales were independently associated with overweight/obesity, specifically total problems (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.18–1.96), internalizing ( OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.16–1.91), externalizing (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.10–1.68), social (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.19–2.35) and thought problems (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.20–2.20). Among subscales, overweight/obesity specifically correlated with anxiety/depression (OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.33–2.51), withdrawal/depression (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.02–2.48) and rule-breaking behavior (OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.15–2.08). Underweight was associated with problems on activities (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.01–1.68) and withdrawal/depression (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.27–3.01).

Conclusions

Lower levels of psychosocial health are associated with both deviations from normal weight. These findings suggest the need for health policies that target health habits and lifestyle, as well as positive attitudes towards the body image, with respect to the different psychosocial characteristics of each body weight status category.
Regulation of telomeric function by DNA methylation differs between humans and mice
Authors: Toubiana Shir , Larom Gal , Smoom Riham , Duszynski Robert J , Godley Lucy A , Francastel Claire , Velasco Guillaume , Selig Sara
Published: September 2020

The most distal 2 kb region in the majority of human subtelomeres contains CpG-rich promoters for TERRA, a long non-coding RNA. When the function of the de novo DNA methyltransferase DNMT3B is disrupted, as in ICF1 syndrome, subtelomeres are abnormally hypomethylated, subtelomeric heterochromatin acquires open chromatin characteristics, TERRA is highly expressed, and telomeres shorten rapidly. In this study, we explored whether the regulation of subtelomeric epigenetic characteristics by DNMT3B is conserved between humans and mice. Studying the DNA sequence of the distal 30 kb of the majority of murine q-arm subtelomeres indicated that these regions are relatively CpG-poor and do not contain TERRA promoters similar to those present in humans. Despite the lack of human-like TERRA promoters, we clearly detected TERRA expression originating from at least seven q-arm subtelomeres, and at higher levels in mouse pluripotent stem cells in comparison with mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). However, these differences in TERRA expression could not be explained by differential methylation of CpG islands present in the TERRA-expressing murine subtelomeres. To determine whether Dnmt3b regulates the expression of TERRA in mice, we characterized subtelomeric methylation and associated telomeric functions in cells derived from ICF1 model mice. Littermate-derived WT and ICF1 MEFs demonstrated no significant differences in subtelomeric DNA methylation, chromatin modifications, TERRA expression levels, telomere sister chromatid exchange or telomere length. We conclude that the epigenetic characteristics of murine subtelomeres differ substantially from their human counterparts and that TERRA transcription in mice is regulated by factors others than Dnmt3b.
Holomorphic Immersions of Bi-Disks into 9D Real Hypersurfaces with Levi Signature (2,2)
Authors: Foo Wei Guo , Merker Joël
Published: September 2020

Inspired by an article of R. Bryant on holomorphic immersions of unit disks into Lorentzian CR manifolds, we discuss the application of Cartan’s method to the question of the existence of bi-disk $\mathbb{D}^{2}$ in a smooth $9$D real-analytic real hypersurface $M^{9}\subset \mathbb{C}^{5}$ with Levi signature $(2,2)$ passing through a fixed point. The result is that the lift to $M^{9}\times U(2)$ of the image of the bi-disk in $M^{9}$ must lie in the zero set of two complex-valued functions in $M^{9}\times U(2)$. We then provide an example where one of the functions does not identically vanish, thus obstructing holomorphic immersions.
Design and implementation of a coal-dust removal device for heavy-haul railway tunnels
Authors: Li Yuanjun , Meng Zhigang
Published: September 2020

The Daqin Railway is China's first electrified double-track heavy-haul railway line dedicated to coal transportation. Over the years of operation, the tunnels have been covered with a thick layer of coal dust, which also pervades in the air. Worse is that the coal dust has even buried the rail joints in some sections, making the repair and maintenance of the line difficult. This paper introduces a coal-dust removal device for railway tunnels that integrates pipeline transportation with dust-collection techniques. The device is mainly composed of a power system, a conveying system, a dust-filtration and collection system, and a control and protection system. The key technical elements of the system, such as the dust-extraction method and dust-filtration and collection parameters, are optimized based on the characteristics of the coal dust in the tunnel (obtained via field trials), which greatly enhances the adaptability of the device. Coal-dust removal efficiency reached over 20 t/h, which improves the working environment, reduces the intensity of manual work required and solves the problem of coal-dust removal from the most polluted area—within 500 m of the tunnel entrance.
Rapid thrombelastography predicts perioperative massive blood transfusion in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting
Authors: Lin Chenyao , Fu Yourong , Huang Shuang , Zhou Shuimei , Shen Changxin
Published: September 2020

Massive blood transfusion (MBT) is a relatively common complication of cardiac surgery, which is independently associated with severe postoperative adverse events. However, the value of using rapid thrombotomography (r-TEG) to predict MBT in perioperative period of cardiac surgery has not been explored. This study aimed to identify the effect of r-TEG in predicting MBT for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

This retrospective study included consecutive patients first time undergoing CABG at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University between March 2015 and November 2017. All the patients had done r-TEG tests before surgery. The MBT was defined as receiving at least 4 units of red blood cells intra-operatively and 5 units postoperatively (1 unit red blood cells from 200 mL whole blood).

Lower preoperative hemoglobin level (P = .001) and longer cardiopulmonary bypass time (P = .001) were the independent risk factors for MBT during surgery, and no components of the r-TEG predicted MBT during surgery. Meanwhile, longer activated clotting time (P < .001), less autologous blood transfusion (P = .001), and older age (P = .008) were the independent risk factors for MBT within 24 hours of surgery.

Preoperative r-TEG activated clotting time can predict the increase of postoperative MBT in patients undergoing CABG. We recommend the careful monitoring of coagulation system with r-TEG, which allows rapid diagnosis of coagulation abnormalities even before the start of surgery.
Incidence and predictors for abnormal liver function during direct-acting antiviral agents in chronic hepatitis C patients
Authors: Liu Yen-Chun , Jeng Wen-Juei , Cheng Ya-Ting , Hsieh Yi-Chung , Teng Wei , Chen Yi-Cheng , Lin Chun-Yen , Chien Rong-Nan , Sheen I-Shyan
Published: September 2020

Abrupt alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation during direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA) treatment is an uncommon but noticeable adverse event in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients, which may lead to early termination of treatment. This study aims to investigate the incidence, outcome and predictors of the on-treatment ALT elevation during DAA therapy.

CHC patients treated with DAA regimen in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou branch during March 2015 to March 2019 were recruited. Prospective scheduled ALT assessment at baseline, 2nd, 4th, 8th, and 12th/24th weeks were recorded. Pretherapy host and viral factors were compared between patients with and without on-treatment ALT elevation. Multivariate logistic regression was used for independent factors for on-treatment ALT elevation.

A total of 1563 CHC patients treated with grazoprevir/elbasvir, glecaprevir/pibrentasvir and sofosbuvir-based regimen were analyzed. On-treatment ALT elevation occurred in 10.9% patients while those treated with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir had the least possibility (5.4%). Only 1.4% patients had ≥grade 3 ALT elevation events. The presence of such events had no impact on sustained virological response 12 rates. Hepatitis B virus coinfection (aOR: 3.599, P < 0.001) and higher pretherapy ALT (1-5x, ≥5x upper limit of normal: aOR: 2.632, P = 0.024, aOR: 4.702, P = .011, respectively) were significant predictors for ALT elevation.

On-treatment ALT elevation occurred in one-tenth CHC patients treated with preferred DAAs but had no impact on sustained virological response rate.
Association of blood pressure with mortality in hemodialysis patients with a tunneled cuffed catheter
Authors: Shimamura Yoshinosuke , Maeda Takuto , Abe Koki , Takizawa Hideki
Published: September 2020

The use of tunneled cuffed catheters (TCCs) for permanent blood access is increasing as the hemodialysis population ages. However, the higher mortality and complication rates associated with their use have been significant concerns. This single-center observational cohort study aimed to investigate clinical factors affecting mortality and complications in Japanese hemodialysis patients with a TCC.

We enrolled 64 consecutive patients receiving hemodialysis through a TCC between 2012 and 2019. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality and the secondary outcome was the incidence of catheter-related complications at 2 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine variables associated with these outcomes.

At 2 years, death from any cause and catheter-related complications occurred in 27/64 (42%) and 23/64 (36%) patients, respectively. There were 14 bacteremia events, 7 catheter obstructions, and 8 instances of restricted blood flow. Multivariate analysis showed that systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 100 mm Hg at the time of catheter insertion was associated with higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 2.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–6.41) and catheter-related complications (hazard ratio, 2.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.52–22.2). The Kaplan–Meier analyses also showed that patients with SBP <100 mm Hg had higher mortality (P = .001) and a higher incidence of catheter-related complications (P = .0068).

SBP <100 mm Hg at the time of catheter insertion is associated with mortality and catheter-related complications in hemodialysis patients using a TCC. Further multi-center studies are required to validate our results.
Acupuncture for lateral epicondylitis
Authors: Kim Ha-Na , Goo Bonhyuk , Nam Sang-Soo
Published: September 2020

Background:

Acupuncture has been widely used for relieving pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders, such as lateral epicondylitis. Although the effect of acupuncture on pain has been demonstrated in previous reviews, it is still under debate. This study is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture to treat lateral epicondylitis and establishing the evidence systematically.

Methods:

Nine databases will be searched from their inception to May 2020 without language or publication status restrictions, including 3 English databases (MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), 5 Korean databases (Korean Medical Database, KoreaMed, Korean Studies Information Service System, Research Information Service System, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System), and 1 Chinese database (China Knowledge Network Database). Only randomized controlled trials will be included. Pain intensity will be considered as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes will include the grip strength, total effective rate, and adverse events. Two independent researchers will perform the study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment. The methodological quality of the identified studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk-of-bias tool. In the meta-analysis, continuous data will be expressed as mean and 95% confidence interval, and dichotomous data will be expressed as risk ratio and 95% confidence interval.

Results:

The results of this study will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

Conclusion:

The results of this study would provide the evidence of whether acupuncture is effective for lateral epicondylitis.

Registration number:

PROSPERO CRD42020186824
Symptomatic pericardial effusion in the setting of asymptomatic COVID-19 infection
Authors: Amoozgar Behzad , Kaushal Varun , Mubashar Umair , Sen Shuvendu , Yousaf Shakeel , Yotsuya Matthew
Published: September 2020

Rationale:

Infection with the severe acute respiratory coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been shown to cause multi-organ involvement including cardiopulmonary serosal layers infection and inflammation. As a result, pericarditis and pericardial effusion may occur with or without COVID-19 related respiratory signs. Due to limitations in sensitivity and specificity of current COVID-19 diagnostic studies, cases that trigger high clinical intuition, even with negative serologic and polymerase chain reaction testing results, may necessitate further diagnostic workup to discover the underlying etiology.

Patient concerns:

Here we present a rare case of pericardial effusion in the setting of asymptomatic COVID-19 infection manifesting with the chief complaint of chest pain.

Diagnosis:

While undergoing diagnostic workup, the patients first 2 sets of COVID 19 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were negative while a latter RT-PCR test, as well as serology, were positive, leading to the diagnosis of COVID-19 reinfection or subacute presentation of viral infection with pericardial effusion. Echocardiogram depicted large circumferential pericardial effusion with mildly thickened pericardium.

Interventions:

The patient underwent pericardial window placement followed by ibuprofen administration and discharged from the hospital.

Outcomes:

During the follow-up visit patient had no symptoms and echocardiogram demonstrated complete resolution of the effusion.

Lessons:

Due to the possible establishment of pericardial effusions and consecutively tamponade even without any COVID-19 related clinical presentation, it is crucial for clinicians to trust their intuition, conduct the appropriate diagnostic tests, find the underlying diagnosis and prevent the devastating consequences.
Shear wave elastography of the saphenous nerve
Authors: Bedewi Mohamed Abdelmohsen , Elsifey Ayman A. , Kotb Mamdouh A. , Bediwy Abdelmohsen Mohamed , Ahmed Yasmin M. , Swify Sherine Mohamed , Abodonya Ahmed M.
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this study is to study sonoelastographic features of the saphenous nerve.

The study included 72 saphenous nerves in 36 healthy subjects. High resolution ultrasound and Shearwave elastography were used to evaluate the saphenous nerve. Cross sectional area (CSA) and stiffness were measured.

The mean CSA of the saphenous nerve was 5.7 mm2. The mean shear elastic modulus of the saphenous nerve in the short axis was 29.5 kPa. The mean shear elastic modulus of the saphenous nerve in long axis was 29.9 kPa. The saphenous nerve elastic modulus also showed no correlation with CSA in neither the long axis nor short axis. Positive correlation between elasticity measurements in the long and short axes. Age, height, weight, and BMI showed no correlation with saphenous nerve elastic modulus in short or long axes.

The elastic modulus of the saphenous nerve has been determined in healthy subjects and can serve as a reference for future assessment of the saphenous nerve before different procedures.
Study on metabonomics of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with community-acquired pneumonia
Authors: Yang Hongjing , Yue Rensong , Zhou Jie , Zeng Zhu , Wang Lizhen , Long Xiaoqin , Ding Ning , Huang Xiaoying
Published: September 2020

Introduction:

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the main acute complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the main cause of hospitalization for infectious diseases. Unfortunately, in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with community-acquired pneumonia (T2DM-CAP), modern medicine is still faced with enormous challenges because of insulin resistance and drug-resistant bacteria. In recent decades, clinical and experimental evidence shows that Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has a certain beneficial effect on diabetes and pneumonia. Therefore, this trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of CHM plus western medicines for the treatment of T2DM-CAP.

Methods:

We propose a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized superiority trial.

A total of 92 participants with T2DM-CAP will be randomly allocated at a 1:1 ratio to either the experimental group, which will receive modified Ban-Xia-Xie-Xin-Decotion and basic treatment, or the control group, which will receive basic treatment only. The study duration will be 14 days. The primary outcome will be the total clinical effective rate. The secondary outcomes are traditional Chinese medicine symptom score scale, pneumonia severity index, usage time of antibiotic, time required for blood sugar to reach the required level, frequency of hypoglycemia, and chest CT. Liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry method will be used to explore the blood metabolism profiles of the subjects, to explore the pathogenesis of T2DM-CAP and the mechanism of CHM on T2DM-CAP. Adverse events will also be evaluated.

Discussion:

This trial will provide evidence of the effectiveness and safety of traditional CHM in treating patients with T2DM-CAP.

Trial registration number:

ChiCTR2000035204
Development and application of a Chinese Version of the Language Screening Test (CLAST) in post-stroke patients
Authors: Sun Mingyao , Zhan Zhouwei , Chen Bijuan , Xin Jiawei , Chen Xiaochun , Yu Erhan , Lin Lizhen , He Raoli , Pan Xiaodong
Published: September 2020

Aphasia shows high incidence in stroke patients and seriously impairs language comprehension, verbal communication, and social activities. Therefore, screening aphasic patients during the acute phase of stroke is crucial for language recovery and rehabilitation. The present study developed a Chinese version of the Language Screening Test (CLAST) and validated it in post-stroke patients.

The CLAST was adapted from the Language Screening Test developed by Constance et al to incorporate Chinese cultural and linguistic specificities, and administered to 207 acute stroke patients and 89 stabilized aphasic or non-aphasic patients. Based on the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) test, its reliability and validity were assessed. A cut-off for the CLAST in Chinese patients was determined by ROC curve analysis.

The CLAST comprised 5 subtests and 15 items, including 2 subscores, namely expression (8 points, assessing naming, repetition, and automatic speech) and receptive (7 points maximum, evaluating picture recognition, and verbal instructions) indexes. Analysis of the alternate-form reliability of the questionnaire showed a retest correlation coefficient of 0.945 (P < .001). Intraclass correlation coefficients of three rating teams were >0.98 (P < .001). Internal consistency analysis showed a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.909 (P < .001). The non-aphasia group showed higher scores than the aphasia group (14.2 ± 1.3vs10.6 ± 3.8) (P < .01). The questionnaire showed good construct validity by factor analysis. ROC curve analysis showed high sensitivity and specificity for the CLAST, with a cut-off of 13.5.

The CLAST is suitable for Chinese post-stroke patients during the acute phase, with high reliability, validity, sensitivity, and specificity.
IRF1-mediated immune cell infiltration is associated with metastasis in colon adenocarcinoma
Authors: Shao Yao-jian , Ni Jun-jie , Wei Shen-yu , Weng Xiong-peng , Shen Meng-die , Jia Yi-xin , Meng Li-na
Published: September 2020

Background:

Evidence suggests that metastasis is chiefly responsible for the poor prognosis of colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). The tumor microenvironment plays a vital role in regulating this biological process. However, the mechanisms involved remain unclear. The aim of this study was to identify crucial metastasis-related biomarkers in the tumor microenvironment and investigate its association with tumor-infiltrating immune cells.

Methods:

We obtained gene expression profiles and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. According to the “Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumor tissue using Expression data” algorithm, each sample generated the immune and stromal scores. Following correlation analysis, the metastasis-related gene was identified in The Cancer Genome Atlas database and validated in the GSE40967 dataset from Gene Expression Omnibus. The correlation between metastasis-related gene and infiltrating immune cells was assessed using the Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource database.

Results:

The analysis included 332 patients; the metastatic COAD samples showed a low immune score. Correlation analysis results showed that interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) was associated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. Furthermore, significant associations between IRF1 and CD8+ T cells, T cell (general), dendritic cells, T-helper 1 cells, and T cell exhaustion were demonstrated by Spearmans correlation coefficients and P values.

Conclusions:

The present findings suggest that IRF1 is associated with metastasis and the degree of immune infiltration of CD8+ T cells (general), dendritic cells, T-helper 1 cells, and T cell exhaustion in COAD. These results may provide information for immunotherapy in colon cancer.
The expression of AGGF1, FOXC2, and E-cadherin in esophageal carcinoma and their clinical significance
Authors: Ma Li , Yang Ruixue , Gu Jingxiang , Jiang Hao , Li Hongwei
Published: September 2020

Angiogenic factor with G-patch and FHA domain 1 (AGGF1) is a newly initiator of angiogenesis. Forkhead box C2 (FOXC2) that is a member of the winged spiral transcription factor family plays an important role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Epithelial-cadherin (E-cad) that is an adhesion molecule is also involved in EMT. The purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of AGGF1, FOXC2, and E-cad in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and their clinical significance.

Immunohistochemistry was performed to investigate the expression of AGGF1, FOXC2, and E-cad in 170 ESCC specimens and corresponding normal esophageal mucosa tissues. Follow-up data was also collected.

The positive rates of AGGF1 and FOXC2 expression were significantly higher in ESCC group when compared with the control group; the positive rate of E-cad expression was significantly lower in ESCC group when compared with the control group. Positive rates of AGGF1, FOXC2, and E-cad expression were significantly associated with grades of differentiation, tumor grades, lymph node metastasis stages, as well as tumor-node-metastasis stages. Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated that positive expression of AGGF1 or FOXC2 for ESCC patients had significantly unfavorably overall survival time when compared with patients with negative expression of AGGF1 or FOXC2; and positive expression of E-cad for ESCC patients had significantly longer overall survival time when compared with patients with negative expression of E-cad. Multivariate analysis indicated that AGGF1, FOXC2, and E-cad expression and tumor-node-metastasis stages were postoperative independent prognostic factors for ESCC patients.

AGGF1, FOXC2, and E-cad may be considered promising biomarkers of ESCC patients’ prognosis.
Biomarkers of postmenopausal osteoporosis and interventive mechanism of catgut embedding in acupoints
Authors: Chen Guizhen , Liu Hongyuan , Wu Xiaofeng , Wang Xue , Liang Junquan , Xu Yunxiang
Published: September 2020

Introduction:

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP), which is a common and frequently occurring age-related metabolic bone disease in perimenopausal women, severely affects patients living quality. Modern medicine therapies for PMOP have several problems such as side reactions, low compliance, and high costs. Thus, nonpharmacological modality is urgently needed. Although acupoint thread embedding treatment is widely used in clinical practice, there is no persuasive evidence of its effect on increasing bone mass for PMOP. This experiment aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of acupoint thread embedding on PMOP and elucidate the correlations among brain neural activation, bone mineral density (BMD), and clinical outcomes with magnetic resonance evidence, thus to explore its neural mechanism.

Methods:

This parallel designed, exploratory randomized, controlled, assessor-statistician-blinded, positive medicine clinical trial will include 70 participants with PMOP recruited from 2 traditional Chinese Medicine hospitals. These participants will be randomly allocated to a treatment group (Group Embedding) and a control group (Group Medication) in a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the treatment group will receive acupoint thread embedding treatment once 2 weeks in the following predefined acupoints: Shenshu (BL23), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Guanyuan (RN4), Ganshu (BL18), Dazhu (BL11), Xuanzhong (GB39), Zusanli (ST36), and Pishu (BL20). Meanwhile, the participants in the control group will take 0.3 mg Climen tablet orally, 1 tablet/day; every month has a schedule of the 21-day-continuous-taking-medicine period, and 7-day tablet-free period. There is a study period of 3 months and a follow-up period of 1 month for each group. The primary outcomes will be the following therapeutic indexed: Short-Form of McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Osteoporosis Symptom Score during the observation period and follow-up period. The secondary outcomes will be Osteoporosis Quality of Life Scale (OQOLS), 16-item Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life in Osteoporosis. In addition, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans and bone density test will be done before and after the observation period to show cranial neuroimaging changes. All the outcomes will be evaluated before and after treatment. The safety of interventions will be assessed at every visit.

Discussion:

We present study design and rationale to explore the effectiveness and neural mechanism of acupoint thread embedding for PMOP through these outcomes.

Trial registration:

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-INR-17011491.
Efficacy and safety of ginkgo preparation in patients with vascular dementia
Authors: Wang Miyuan , Peng Hongye , Peng Zexu , Huang Kailin , Li Tingting , Li Lei , Wu Xin , Shi Heyuan
Published: September 2020

Background:

Vascular dementia has become the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer disease. At present, there is no uniform standard for VaD treatment guidelines among countries. The efficacy of ginkgo biloba in the treatment of vascular dementia is still controversial. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ginkgo biloba in the treatment of vascular dementia through meta-analysis.

Methods:

Six English databases (PubMed, Web of science, Medline, EBASE, Springer Cochrane Library, and WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform) and 4 Chinese databases (Wan fang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database(CNKI) and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database) will be searched normatively according to the rule of each database from the inception to August 1, 2020. Two reviewers will independently conduct article selection, data collection, and risk of bias evaluation. Any disagreement will be resolved by discussion with the third reviewer. Either the fixed-effects or random-effects model will be used for data synthesis based on the heterogeneity test. The change in the scores on mini-mental state examination, activity of daily living scale and Montreal cognitive assement will be used as the main outcome measure, Hamilton depression scale, Hastgawa dementia scale, blessed dementia scale, clinical dmentia rating scale as the secondary outcome. Treatment emergent symptom scale, general physical examination (temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure), Routine examination of blood, urine and stool, electrocardiogram, liver and kidney function examination as the security indexs. RevMan5.3.5 will be used for meta-analysis.

Results:

This study will provide high-quality evidence to assess the effectiveness and safety of ginkgo preparation for vascular dementia.

Conclusion:

This systematic review will explore whether ginkgo preparation is an effective and safe intervention for vascular dementia.

Ethics and dissemination:

Ethical approval are not required for this study. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences, and will be shared on social media platforms. This review will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or conference presentation.

PROSPERO registration number:

PROSPERO CRD42020167851.
Management of Pediatric Postendoscopy Fever
Authors: Boster Julia M. , Iwanowski Melissa , Kramer Robert E.
Published: September 2020

Objectives:

The aim of the study was to validate rates of fever after pediatric gastrointestinal endoscopy, to describe clinical outcomes of postendoscopy fever (PEF) cases, and to assess the effect of a PEF clinical care guideline (CCG) on hospital use.

Patients and Methods:

Episodes of PEF were reviewed from a large prospective database of all adverse events following pediatric gastrointestinal endoscopy at an academic children's hospital. A CCG was implemented to standardize care of children with reported fever after endoscopy and reduce unnecessary resource use. Chi‐squared analysis was performed to compare rates of hospital use for evaluation of PEF before and after implementation of the CCG.

Results:

PEF occurred in 0.55% of the 27,100 endoscopies performed during the present study period. In the 150 cases of reported fever, the rate of identified endoscopy‐related infection was low (4.0%). The rate of PEF was significantly higher in patients who underwent interventional procedures (0.81%) than those who underwent diagnostic endoscopy (0.51%, P = 0.02). In patients who experienced PEF, the CCG significantly reduced hospital use, decreasing emergency department visits and hospital admissions by 52.1% (P < 0.0001) without leading to negative patient outcomes.

Conclusion:

PEF in children rarely represents clinically significant infection and may be due in part to inflammation from tissue damage and/or physiologic stress. The present study shows that implementation of a PEF CCG may reduce unnecessary care while maintaining patient safety. Furthermore, multicenter studies are required to confirm the overall safety of similar clinical algorithms.
Unintended Consequences of Health Care Reform
Authors: Bartholomew Alex J. , Zeymo Alexander , Chan Kitty S. , Aminpour Nathan , Mishra Ankit , DeLeire Thomas , Shara Nawar , Al-Refaie Waddah B.
Published: September 2020

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion on patient safety metrics at the hospital level by expansion status, across varying levels of safety-net burden, and over time.

Summary Background Data:

Medicaid expansion has raised concerns over the influx of additional medically and socially complex populations on hospital systems. Whether increases in Medicaid and uninsured payor mix impact hospital performance metrics remains largely unknown. We sought to evaluate the effects of expansion on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-endorsed Patient Safety Indicators (PSI-90).

Methods:

Three hundred fifty-eight hospitals were identified using State Inpatient Databases (2012–2015) from 3 expansions (KY, MD, NJ) and 2 nonexpansion (FL, NC) states. PSI-90 scores were calculated using Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality modules. Hospital Medicaid and uninsured patients were categorized into safety-net burden (SNB) quartiles. Hospital-level, multivariate linear regression was performed to measure the effects of expansion and change in SNB on PSI-90.

Results:

PSI-90 decreased (safety improved) over time across all hospitals (−5.2%), with comparable reductions in expansion versus nonexpansion states (−5.9% vs −4.7%, respectively; P = 0.441) and across high SNB hospitals within expansion versus nonexpansion states (−3.9% vs −5.2%, P = 0.639). Pre-ACA SNB quartile did not predict changes in PSI-90 post-ACA. However, when hospitals increased their SNB by 5%, they incurred significantly more safety events in expansion relative to nonexpansion states (+1.87% vs −14.0%, P = 0.013).

Conclusions:

Despite overall improvement in patient safety, increased SNB was associated with increased safety events in expansion states. Accordingly, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services measures may unintentionally penalize hospitals with increased SNB following Medicaid expansion.
Ultrafast contour imaging for time-domain diffuse optical tomography
Authors: Feng Xiaohua , Gao Liang
Published: September 2020

Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) is well known to be ill-posed and suffers from a poor resolution. While time domain DOT can bolster the resolution by time-gating to extract weakly scattering photons, it is often confronted by an inferior signal to noise ratio and a low measurement density. This is particularly problematic for non-contact DOT imaging of non-planar objects, which faces an inherent tradeoff between the light collection efficiency and depth of field. We present here ultrafast contour imaging, a method that enables efficient light collection over curved surfaces with a dense spatiotemporal sampling of diffused light, allowing DOT imaging in the object’s native geometry with an improved resolution. We demonstrated our approach with both phantom and small animal imaging results. ©2020 Optical Society of America
Demographic inference provides insights into the extirpation and ecological dominance of eusocial snapping shrimps
Authors: Chak Solomon T. C. , Harris Stephen E. , Hultgren Kristin M. , Duffy J. Emmett , Rubenstein Dustin R.
Published: September 2020

Eusocial animals often achieve ecological dominance in the ecosystems where they occur, a process that may be linked to their demography. That is, reproductive division of labor and high reproductive skew in eusocial species is predicted to result in more stable effective population sizes that may make groups more competitive, but also lower effective population sizes that may make groups more susceptible to inbreeding and extinction. We examined the relationship between demography and social organization in one of the few animal lineages where eusociality has evolved recently and repeatedly among close relatives, theSynalpheussnapping shrimps. Although eusocial species often dominate the reefs where they occur by outcompeting their non-eusocial relatives for access to sponge hosts, many eusocial species have recently become extirpated across the Caribbean. Coalescent-based historical demographic inference in 12 species found that across nearly 100,000 generations, eusocial species tended to have lower but more stable effective population sizes through time. Our results are consistent with the idea that stable population sizes may enable eusocial shrimps to be more competitively dominant, but they also suggest that recent population declines are likely caused by eusocial shrimps’ heightened sensitivity to anthropogenically-driven environmental changes as a result of their low effective population sizes and localized dispersal, rather than to natural cycles of inbreeding and extinction. Thus, although the unique life histories and demography of eusocial shrimps has likely contributed to their persistence and ecological dominance over evolutionary timescales, these social traits may also make them vulnerable to contemporary environmental change.
A P300 brain-computer interface with a reduced visual field
Authors: Kirasirova Luiza , Bulanov Vladimir , Ossadtchi Alexei , Kolsanov Alexander , Pyatin Vasily , Lebedev Mikhail
Published: September 2020

A P300 brain-computer interface (BCI) is a paradigm, where text characters are decoded from visual evoked potentials (VEPs). In a popular implementation, called P300 speller, a subject looks at a display where characters are flashing and selects one character by attending to it. The selection is recognized by the strongest VEP. The speller performs well when cortical responses to target and non-target stimuli are sufficiently different. Although many strategies have been proposed for improving the spelling, a relatively simple one received insufficient attention in the literature: reduction of the visual field to diminish the contribution from non-target stimuli. Previously, this idea was implemented in a single-stimulus switch that issued an urgent command. To tackle this approach further, we ran a pilot experiment where ten subjects first operated a traditional P300 speller and then wore a binocular aperture that confined their sight to the central visual field. Visual field restriction resulted in a reduction of non-target responses in all subjects. Moreover, in four subjects, target-related VEPs became more distinct. We suggest that this approach could speed up BCI operations and reduce user fatigue. Additionally, instead of wearing an aperture, non-targets could be removed algorithmically or with a hybrid interface that utilizes an eye tracker. We further discuss how a P300 speller could be improved by taking advantage of the different physiological properties of the central and peripheral vision. Finally, we suggest that the proposed experimental approach could be used in basic research on the mechanisms of visual processing.
Time-dependent changes to sepsis-specific networks in the plasma proteome are mechanistic readouts of sepsis progression
Authors: Pimienta G.
Published: September 2020

Sepsis accounts for 1 in 5 deaths globally and is the most common cause of deaths in U.S. hospitals. Despite this public health burden, no diagnostic biomarker, nor therapeutic agent for sepsis has proven useful or effective. The principal obstacle is the lack of a mechanistic understanding of this syndrome, particularly during its onset and progression. Using an experimental model of murine sepsis, we report here a time-dependent assessment of changes to the plasma proteome upon infection withSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium. Changes to the plasma proteome signature of sepsis (PPSS) revealed a transition from early inflammation and coagulation to a later stage of chronic inflammation, coagulopathy and bacteremia. This study represents an advance in our understanding of sepsis progression that may guide innovative therapeutic attitudes and help clinicians track sepsis progression.