bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Interplay Between Oral Diseases, Microbiome, and Chronic Diseases Driven by Metabolic Dysfunction in Childhood
Authors: Sabella Fernanda Maria , de Feiria Simone Nataly Busato , Ribeiro Apoena de Aguiar , Theodoro Letícia Helena , Höfling José Francisco , Parisotto Thaís Manzano , Duque Cristiane
Published: September 2021

Oral childhood diseases, such as caries and gingivitis, have much more than a local impact on the dentition and tooth surrounding tissues, which can affect systemic conditions. While the mouth is frequently exposed to microbial stressors that can contribute to an inflammatory state in the entire body, chronic disorders can also interfere with oral health. Sharing common risk factors, a dynamic interplay can be driven between 1. dental caries, gingivitis, and type I diabetes mellitus, 2. early childhood caries and obesity, and 3. caries and cardiovascular diseases. Considering that there are ~2.2 billion children worldwide and that childhood provides unique opportunities for intervention targeting future health promotion, this review is of prime importance and aimed to explore the relationship between the oral microbiome and oral chronic diseases driven by metabolic dysfunction in childhood.
Promoting Students’ Global Perspectives Through a Gamified e-Learning Platform
Authors: Leung Frankie Y. W. , Lau Martin , Wan Kelvin , Law Lisa , Kwong Theresa , Wong Eva Y. W.
Published: September 2021

With the rapid growth of internationalization in tertiary institutions worldwide, the development of students’ global perspectives has attracted the attention of many universities. However, this development is a challenging one due to the complicated nature of global issues and their incompatibility with traditional subject-specific boundaries of classroom teaching. Through two eTournaments organized on a proprietary gamified e-learning platform named “PaGamO,” this study examined participating students’ learning experience and their change of global perspectives due to their participation in the eTournaments. Data were collected before and after the two eTournaments, and 217 survey responses were considered to be valid and were further analyzed. The findings showed that participating students achieved the satisfaction level of enjoyment (M= 3.62) and their awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (M= 3.96) had been improved. In addition, the findings also revealed that 1) students enjoyed and perceived a better understanding of the SDGs in terms of perceptual dimensions like value-oriented and partnership-oriented, rather than the global issues about substantial threats or environmental issues; 2) the “intrapersonal effect” of students had been significantly reduced after the eTournaments; 3) positive significant correlations were found between the level of enjoyment and frequency of question-attempt in relation to the change of cognitive knowledge and interpersonal social interaction. The findings of this study offered some possible insights into students’ gameplay experience concerning dimensions of global perspectives and also support the findings of prior research on how gamified e-learning platforms could contribute to the development of students’ global perspectives.
Small Group Student-Produced Podcasts Were Favoured as Assignment Tool for Large-Scale Interprofessional Learning: An Exploratory Study Among Health, Social Care, and Teacher Education Program
Authors: Almendingen Kari , Torbjørnsen Astrid , Sparboe-Nilsen Bente , Kvarme Lisbeth Gravdal , Saltyte Benth Jūratė
Published: September 2021

Information and communications technology (ICT) can impact student learning outcomes, and podcasts have opened new possibilities for assessment in interprofessional learning (IPL) by supporting collaborative learning, enhancing communication skills, promote group working and technology competence. Pre-service IPL may thus benefit from ICT to develop interprofessional competencies among all future professionals. Research on student-produced podcast in IPL studies is limited. This study examined 1) how students from teacher education, health and social care educations, along with their supervisors, respond to different assignment formats (podcast, video, and written academic text) in IPL group work, and 2) the attitudes of students and supervisors toward these formats. The instructions and criteria were identical for all assignment tools and required case-based interprofessional group collaboration about real-life scenarios addressing child and youth education, health and well-being. Data were collected from online questionnaires in a mixed-methods exploratory cross-sectional study. The students’ and supervisors’ response rates were 25.8% (n = 363) and 37.1% (n = 13), respectively. Among the students, 75.2% submitted podcasts, 23.7% submitted written academic texts, and only 0.8% submitted videos. The students and most of their supervisors preferred podcasts as assignment tool over written text or videos. However, very few students chose the video assessment format, making insight into this format limited. Results did not differ according to age or educational background. Participants expressed that podcasts allowed more discussion, reflection and interprofessional collaboration. Students thought podcasts were fun to produce and allowed for more creativity. In conclusion, both students and their supervisors favored podcasting as the assignment format in IPL group work. The short time frame may however have influenced this choice. Pre-service technologically enhanced learning cannot replace practice-based learning. However, submission of case-based podcast assignments could prepare students for interprofessional collaboration about complex real-life scenarios.
Short- to Medium-Term Sea Surface Height Prediction in the Bohai Sea Using an Optimized Simple Recurrent Unit Deep Network
Authors: Ning Pengfei , Zhang Cuicui , Zhang Xuefeng , Jiang Xiaoyi
Published: September 2021

Global warming has intensified the rise in sea levels and has caused severe ecological disasters in shallow coastal waters such as the Northeastern China's Bohai Sea. The prediction of the sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) has great significance in the context of monitoring changes in sea levels. However, the non-linearity of SSHA due to the occurrence of dynamic physical phenomena poses a challenge to current methods(e.g., ROMS, MITgcm) that aim to provide accurate predictions of SSHA. In this study, we have developed an optimized Simple Recurrent Unit (SRU) deep network for the short- to medium-term prediction of the SSHA using Archiving Validation and International of Satellites Oceanographic (AVISO) data. Thanks to the parallel structure of the SRU, the computational complexity of the deep network can be reduced to a considerable extent and this makes the short- to medium-term prediction more efficient. To avoid over-fitting and a vanishing gradient, a skip-connection strategy has been utilized for model optimization, and this improves significantly the accuracy of prediction. Detailed experiments were carried out in the Bohai Sea to evaluate the proposed model and it was demonstrated that the proposed framework (i) outperformed significantly the current deep learning methods such as the BP (Backpropagation), the RNN (Recurrent Neural Network), the LSTM (Long Short-term Memory), and the GRU (Gated Recurrent Unit) algorithms for 1, 5, 20, and 300-day prediction; (ii) can predict the short-term trend in the SSHA (for the next day or 2 days) in real time; and (iii) achieves medium-term prediction in seconds for the next 5–20 days and shows great potential for applications requiring medium- to long-term predictions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that investigates the effectiveness of the SRU deep learning model for short- to medium-term SSHA predictions.
The Hyperbilirubinemia and Potential Predictors Influence on Long-Term Outcomes in Sepsis: A Population-Based Propensity Score-Matched Study
Authors: Peng Milin , Deng Fuxing , Qi Desheng , Hu Zhonghua , Zhang Lina
Published: September 2021

Objective: Although hyperbilirubinemia has been associated with mortality in patients who are critically ill, yet no clinical studies dissect the effect of dynamic change of hyperbilirubinemia on long-term septic prognosis. The study aims to investigate the specific stages of hyperbilirubinemia and potential risk factors on long-term outcomes in patients with sepsis.

Methods: In this retrospective observational cohort study, patients with sepsis, without previous chronic liver diseases, were identified from the Medical Information Mart for the Intensive Care III MIMIC-III database. We used propensity scores (PS) to adjust the baseline differences in septic patients with hyperbilirubinemia or not. The multivariate Cox was employed to investigate the predictors that influence a clinical outcome in sepsis.

Results: Of 2,784 patients with sepsis, hyperbilirubinemia occurred in 544 patients (19.5%). After PS matching, a survival curve demonstrated that patients with sepsis with the new onset of total bilirubin (TBIL) levels more than or equal to 5 mg/dl survived at significantly lower rates than those with TBIL levels <5 mg/dl. Multivariate Cox hazard analysis showed that patients with TBIL at more than or equal to 5 mg/dl during sepsis exhibit 1.608 times (95% CI: 1.228–2.106) higher risk of 1-year mortality than those with TBIL levels <5 mg/dl. Also, age above 65 years old, preexisting malignancy, a respiratory rate above 30 beats/min at admission, serum parameters levels within 24-h admission, containing international normalized ratio (INR) above 1.5, platelet <50*10∧9/L, lactate above 4 mmol/L, and bicarbonate <22 or above 29 mmol/L are the independent risk factors for long-term mortality of patients with sepsis.

Conclusions: After PS matching, serum TBIL levels at more than or equal to 5 mg/dl during hospitality are associated with increased long-term mortality for patients with sepsis. This study may provide clinicians with some cutoff values for early intervention, which may improve the prognosis of patients with sepsis.
The Molecular Basis of Gender Variations in Mortality Rates Associated With the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak
Authors: Hachim Ibrahim Y. , Hachim Mahmood Y. , Talaat Iman Mamdouh , López-Ozuna Vanessa M. , Saheb Sharif-Askari Narjes , Al Heialy Saba , Halwani Rabih , Hamid Qutayba
Published: September 2021

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the end of 2019, the clinical presentation of the disease showed a great heterogeneity with a diverse impact among different subpopulations. Emerging evidence from different parts of the world showed that male patients usually had a longer disease course as well as worse outcome compared to female patients. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind this difference might be a fundamental step for more effective and personalized response to this disease outbreak. For that reason, here we investigate the molecular basis of gender variations in mortality rates related to COVID-19 infection. To achieve this, we used publicly available lung transcriptomic data from 141 females and compare it to 286 male lung tissues. After excluding Y specific genes, our results showed a shortlist of 73 genes that are differentially expressed between the two groups. Further analysis using pathway enrichment analysis revealed downregulation of a group of genes that are involved in the regulation of hydrolase activity including (CHM, DDX3X, FGFR3, SFRP2, and NLRP2) in males lungs compared to females. This pathway is believed to be essential for immune response and antimicrobial activity in the lung tissues. In contrast, our results showed an increased upregulation of angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AGTR1), a member of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that plays a role in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) activity modulation in male lungs compared to females. Finally, our results showed a differential expression of genes involved in the immune response including the NLRP2 and PTGDR2 in lung tissues of both genders, further supporting the notion of the sex-based immunological differences. Taken together, our results provide an initial evidence of the molecular mechanisms that might be involved in the differential outcomes observed in both genders during the COVID-19 outbreak. This maybe essential for the discovery of new targets and more precise therapeutic options to treat COVID-19 patients from different clinical and epidemiological characteristics with the aim of improving their outcome.
Multiple Sclerosis and the Endogenous Opioid System
Authors: Dworsky-Fried Zoë , Chadwick Caylin I. , Kerr Bradley J. , Taylor Anna M. W.
Published: September 2021

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation, neuronal degeneration and demyelinating lesions within the central nervous system. The mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis and progression of MS are not fully known and current therapies have limited efficacy. Preclinical investigations using the murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS, as well as clinical observations in patients with MS, provide converging lines of evidence implicating the endogenous opioid system in the pathogenesis of this disease. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that endogenous opioid peptides, binding μ- (MOR), κ- (KOR) and δ-opioid receptors (DOR), function as immunomodulatory molecules within both the immune and nervous systems. The endogenous opioid system is also well known to play a role in the development of chronic pain and negative affect, both of which are common comorbidities in MS. As such, dysregulation of the opioid system may be a mechanism that contributes to the pathogenesis of MS and associated symptoms. Here, we review the evidence for a connection between the endogenous opioid system and MS. We further explore the mechanisms by which opioidergic signaling might contribute to the pathophysiology and symptomatology of MS.
Therapeutic Potential of Nutraceuticals and Dietary Supplements in the Prevention of Viral Diseases: A Review
Authors: Singh Saumya , Kola Prithwish , Kaur Dalveer , Singla Gisha , Mishra Vibhu , Panesar Parmjit S. , Mallikarjunan Kumar , Krishania Meena
Published: September 2021

Nowadays, despite enormous scientific advances, viral diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity worldwide, and their potential to spread is escalating, eventually turning into pandemics. Nutrition can play a major role in supporting the immune system of the body and for the optimal functioning of the cells of the immune system. A healthy diet encompassing vitamins, multi-nutrient supplements, functional foods, nutraceuticals, and probiotics can play a pivotal role in combating several viral invasions in addition to strengthening the immune system. This review provides comprehensive information on diet-based scientific recommendations, evidence, and worldwide case studies in light of the current pandemic and also with a particular focus on virus-induced respiratory tract infections. After reviewing the immune potential of nutraceuticals based on the lab studies and on human studies, it was concluded that bioactive compounds such as nutraceuticals, vitamins, and functional foods (honey, berries, etc.) with proven antiviral efficacy, in addition to pharmaceutical medication or alone as dietary supplements, can prove instrumental in treating a range of virus-induced infections in addition to strengthening the immune system. Milk proteins and peptides can also act as adjuvants for the design of more potent novel antiviral drugs.
Clinical Risk Factors of Licorice-Induced Pseudoaldosteronism Based on Glycyrrhizin-Metabolite Concentrations: A Narrative Review
Authors: Yoshino Tetsuhiro , Shimada Saori , Homma Masato , Makino Toshiaki , Mimura Masaru , Watanabe Kenji
Published: September 2021

Licorice, the dried root or stolon of Glycyrrhiza glabra or G. ularensis, is commonly used worldwide as a food sweetener or crude drug. Its major ingredient is glycyrrhizin. Hypokalemia or pseudoaldosteronism (PsA) is one of the most frequent side effects of licorice intake. Glycyrrhizin metabolites inhibit type 2 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11βHSD2), which decomposes cortisol into inactive cortisone in the distal nephron, thereby inducing mineralocorticoid receptor activity. Among the several reported glycyrrhizin-metabolites, 18β-glycyrrhetyl-3-O-sulfate is the major compound found in humans after licorice consumption, followed by glycyrrhetinic acid. These metabolites are highly bound to albumin in blood circulation and are predominantly excreted into bile via multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp2). High dosage and long-term use of licorice are constitutional risk factors for PsA. Orally administered glycyrrhizin is effectively hydrolyzed to glycyrrhetinic acid by the intestinal bacteria in constipated patients, which enhances the bioavailability of glycyrrhizin metabolites. Under hypoalbuminemic conditions, the unbound metabolite fractions can reach 11βHSD2 at the distal nephron. Hyper direct-bilirubin could be a surrogate marker of Mrp2 dysfunction, which results in metabolite accumulation. Older age is associated with reduced 11βHSD2 function, and several concomitant medications, such as diuretics, have been reported to affect the phenotype. This review summarizes several factors related to licorice-induced PsA, including daily dosage, long-term use, constipation, hypoalbuminemia, hyper direct-bilirubin, older age, and concomitant medications.
Malnutrition and Sarcopenia Combined Increases the Risk for Mortality in Older Adults on Hemodialysis
Authors: Macedo Catarina , Amaral Teresa F. , Rodrigues Juliana , Santin Fernanda , Avesani Carla Maria
Published: September 2021

Aim: Sarcopenia and malnutrition are highly prevalent in older adults undergoing hemodialysis (HD) and are associated with negative outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the role of sarcopenia and malnutrition combined on the nutritional markers, quality of life, and survival in a cohort of older adults on chronic HD.

Methods: This was an observational, longitudinal, and multicenter study including 170 patients on HD aged >60 years. Nutritional status was assessed by 7-point-subjective global assessment (7p-SGA), body composition (anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance), and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (Baumgartner's prediction equation). Quality of life was assessed by KDQoL-SF. The cutoffs for low muscle mass and low muscle strength established by the 2019 European Working group on sarcopenia for Older People (EWGSOP) were used for the diagnosis of sarcopenia. Individuals with a 7p-SGA score ≤5 were considered malnourished, individuals with low strength or low muscle mass were pre-sarcopenic, and those with low muscle mass and low muscle strength combined as sarcopenic. The sample was divided into four groups: sarcopenia and malnutrition; sarcopenia and no-malnutrition; no-sarcopenia with malnutrition; and no-sarcopenia and no-malnutrition. Follow-up for survival lasted 23.5 (12.2; 34.4) months.

Results: Pre-sarcopenia, sarcopenia, and malnutrition were present in 35.3, 14.1, and 58.8% of the patients, respectively. The frequency of malnutrition in the group of patients with sarcopenia was not significantly higher than in the patients without sarcopenia (66.7 vs. 51.2%; p = 0.12). When comparing groups according to the occurrence of sarcopenia and malnutrition, the sarcopenia and malnutrition group were older and presented significantly lower BMI, calf circumference, body fat, phase angle, body cell mass, and mid-arm muscle circumference. In the survival analysis, the group with sarcopenia and malnutrition showed a higher hazard ratio 2.99 (95% CI: 1.23: 7.25) for mortality when compared to a group with no-sarcopenia and no-malnutrition.

Conclusion: Older adults on HD with sarcopenia and malnutrition combined showed worse nutritional parameters, quality of life, and higher mortality risk. In addition, malnutrition can be present even in patients without sarcopenia. These findings highlight the importance of complete nutritional assessment in patients on dialysis.
APOE Genotype Modifies the Plasma Oxylipin Response to Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation in Healthy Individuals
Authors: Saleh Rasha N. M. , West Annette L. , Ostermann Annika I. , Schebb Nils Helge , Calder Philip C. , Minihane Anne Marie
Published: September 2021

The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), mediate inflammation in large part by affecting pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory/pro-resolving oxylipin concentrations. Common gene variants are thought to underlie the large inter-individual variation in oxylipin levels in response to n-3 PUFA supplementation, which in turn is likely to contribute to the overall heterogeneity in response to n-3 PUFA intervention. Given its known role in inflammation and as a modulator of the physiological response to EPA and DHA, here we explore, for the first time, the differential response of plasma hydroxy-, epoxy- and dihydroxy-arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA oxylipins according to apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype using samples from a dose-response parallel design RCT. Healthy participants were given doses of EPA+DHA equivalent to intakes of 1, 2, and 4 portions of oily fish per week for 12 months. There was no difference in the plasma levels of EPA, DHA or ARA between the wildtype APOE3/E3 and APOE4 carrier groups after 3 or 12 months of n-3 PUFA supplementation. At 12 months, hydroxy EPAs (HEPEs) and hydroxy-DHAs (HDHAs) were higher in APOE4 carriers, with the difference most evident at the highest EPA+DHA intake. A significant APOE*n-3 PUFA dose effect was observed for the CYP-ω hydroxylase products 19-HEPE (p = 0.027) and 20-HEPE (p = 0.011). 8-HEPE, which, along with several other plasma oxylipins, is an activator of peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs), showed the highest fold change in APOE4 carriers (14-fold) compared to APOE3/E3 (4-fold) (p = 0.014). Low basal plasma EPA levels (EPA < 0.85% of total fatty acids) were associated with a greater change in 5-HEPE, 9-HEPE, 11-HEPE, and 20-HEPE compared to high basal EPA levels (EPA > 1.22% of total fatty acids). In conclusion, APOE genotype modulated the plasma oxylipin response to increased EPA+DHA intake, with APOE4 carriers presenting with the greatest increases following high dose n-3 PUFA supplementation for 12 months.
Clinical Features and Serological Markers Risk Model Predicts Overall Survival in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer and Bone Metastasis Surgeries
Authors: Mou Haochen , Wang Zhan , Zhang Wenkan , Li Guoqi , Zhou Hao , Yinwang Eloy , Wang Fangqian , Sun Hangxiang , Xue Yucheng , Wang Zenan , Chen Tao , Chai Xupeng , Qu Hao , Lin Peng , Teng Wangsiyuan , Li Binghao , Ye Zhaoming
Published: September 2021

Background

Surgical therapy of breast cancer and bone metastasis can effectively improve the prognosis of breast cancer. However, after the first operation, the relationship between preoperative indicators and outcomes in patients who underwent metastatic bone surgery remained to be studied. Purpose 1. Recognize clinical and laboratory prognosis factors available to clinical doctors before the operation for bone metastatic breast cancer patients. 2. Develop a risk prediction model for 3-year postoperative survival in patients with breast cancer bone metastasis.

Methods

From 2014 to 2020, patients who suffered from breast cancer bone metastasis and received therapeutic procedures in our institution were included for analyses (n=145). For patients who underwent both breast cancer radical surgery and bone metastasis surgery, comprehensive datasets of the parameters of interest (clinical features, laboratory factors, and patient prognoses) were collected (n=69). We performed Multivariate Cox regression to identify factors that were associated with postoperative outcome. 3-year survival prediction model and nomograms were established by 100 bootstrapping. Its benefit was evaluated by calibration plot, C-index, and decision curve analysis. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was also used for external validation.

Results

Radiotherapy for primary cancer, pathological type of metastatic breast cancer, lymph node metastasis, elevated serum alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase were associated with postoperative prognosis. Pathological types of metastatic breast cancer, multiple bone metastasis, organ metastases, and elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase were associated with 3-year survival. Then those significant variables and serum alkaline phosphatase counts were integrated to construct nomograms for 3-year survival. The C-statistic of the established predictive model was 0.83. The calibration plot presents a graphical representation of calibration. In the decision curve analysis, the benefits are higher than those of the extreme curve. The receiver operating characteristic of the external validation of the model was 0.82, indicating a favored fitting degree of the two models.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that several clinical features and serological markers can predict the overall survival among the patients who are about to receive bone metastasis surgery after breast cancer surgery. The model can guide the preoperative evaluation and clinical decision-making for patients. Level of evidence Level III, prognostic study.
Integrated Analysis and Finding Reveal Anti–Liver Cancer Targets and Mechanisms of Pachyman (Poria cocos Polysaccharides)
Authors: Qin Li , Huang Dongning , Huang Jian , Qin Fuhui , Huang Haixin
Published: September 2021

This bioinformatics study aimed to characterize and certify crucial anti-cancer targets, functional processes, and molecular mechanisms of Pachyman in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by using pharmacology network and molecular docking analyses, by experimental validation. The crucial anti-HCC targets of Pachyman, including ALB, VEGFA, TNF, CASP3, SRC, EGF, CXCR4, STAT3, HRAS, HSP90AA1, MMP9, BCL2L1, FGF2, and PTPRC, were identified. In addition, the correlative networks of all crucial biotargets of Pachyman in treating HCC were created accordingly. Functionally, these crucial genes were correlated using angiogenesis and neoplastic metastasis of HCC. Interestingly, the molecular docking findings indicated that ALB and VEGFA in HCC might be potent pharmacological targets of Pachyman. In experimental validation, the clinical samples of HCC showed reduced ALB protein expression and increased VEGFA protein level. Following Pachyman treatments in vitro, the intracellular level of ALB protein was elevated, whereas the cellular content of VEGFA protein was downregulated. Taken together, current bioinformatics findings based on pharmacology network and molecular docking analyses elucidate the detailed molecular targets and signaling mechanisms of Pachyman in treating HCC. Interestingly, validated biotargets of ALB and VEGFA may be main potential biomarkers for detecting HCC medically.
Tackling Ischemic Reperfusion Injury With the Aid of Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering
Authors: Zamorano Mauricio , Castillo Rodrigo L. , Beltran Jorge F. , Herrera Lisandra , Farias Joaquín A. , Antileo Christian , Aguilar-Gallardo Cristobal , Pessoa Adalberto , Calle Yolanda , Farias Jorge G.
Published: September 2021

Ischemia is a severe condition in which blood supply, including oxygen (O), to organs and tissues is interrupted and reduced. This is usually due to a clog or blockage in the arteries that feed the affected organ. Reinstatement of blood flow is essential to salvage ischemic tissues, restoring O, and nutrient supply. However, reperfusion itself may lead to major adverse consequences. Ischemia-reperfusion injury is often prompted by the local and systemic inflammatory reaction, as well as oxidative stress, and contributes to organ and tissue damage. In addition, the duration and consecutive ischemia-reperfusion cycles are related to the severity of the damage and could lead to chronic wounds. Clinical pathophysiological conditions associated with reperfusion events, including stroke, myocardial infarction, wounds, lung, renal, liver, and intestinal damage or failure, are concomitant in due process with a disability, morbidity, and mortality. Consequently, preventive or palliative therapies for this injury are in demand. Tissue engineering offers a promising toolset to tackle ischemia-reperfusion injuries. It devises tissue-mimetics by using the following: (1) the unique therapeutic features of stem cells, i.e., self-renewal, differentiability, anti-inflammatory, and immunosuppressants effects; (2) growth factors to drive cell growth, and development; (3) functional biomaterials, to provide defined microarchitecture for cell-cell interactions; (4) bioprocess design tools to emulate the macroscopic environment that interacts with tissues. This strategy allows the production of cell therapeutics capable of addressing ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). In addition, it allows the development of physiological-tissue-mimetics to study this condition or to assess the effect of drugs. Thus, it provides a sound platform for a better understanding of the reperfusion condition. This review article presents a synopsis and discusses tissue engineering applications available to treat various types of ischemia-reperfusions, ultimately aiming to highlight possible therapies and to bring closer the gap between preclinical and clinical settings.
Reflection on Loving Pedagogy and Students' Engagement in EFL/ESL Classrooms
Authors: Zhao Shengxue , Li Manman
Published: September 2021

The role of positive emotions in language education has been exponentially approved in the literature. One such emotion which has been mostly neglected in EFL/ESL contexts due to irrational ethical and professional sensitivities is the concept of love. Although love in education highlights a caring environment and relationship which is oriented toward students' feelings and needs, little (if any) research has been done on a loving pedagogy in the context of EFL/ESL. Trying to shed some light on this novel construct, this review article presents the theoretical underpinnings of love, its definitions, dimensions, and positive outcomes in language learning. Moreover, two trends of positive psychology and affective pedagogy are described. Finally, the study presents the possible implications of this line of research for different stakeholders in EFL/ESL domains along with a number of research gaps and future directions for avid scholars in this area.
Disparities in Utilization of Psychiatry Services Among Home Care Clients: The Tale of Two Canadian Jurisdictions
Authors: Poss Jeffrey , Mitchell Lori , Mah Jasmine , Keefe Janice
Published: September 2021

Publicly funded home care in Canada supports older adults in the community to delay institutional care, which results in complex care populations with multimorbidity that includes mental health problems. The purpose of this study is to examine prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses and other mental health symptoms among older clients in two publicly funded Home Care (HC) Programs and their psychiatry service utilization (psychiatrist visits) after being admitted to home care. This retrospective cohort study examines clients age 60 years and older in the two Canadian provinces of Manitoba (MB), specifically the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) (n = 5,278), and Nova Scotia (NS) (n = 5,323). Clients were admitted between 2011 and 2013 and followed up to 4 years. Linked data sources include the InterRAI Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC), physician visit/billing data and hospital admission data. Both regions had similar proportions (53%) of home care clients with one or more psychiatric diagnoses. However, we observed over 10 times the volume of psychiatry visits in the WRHA cohort (8,246 visits vs. 792 visits in NS); this translated into a 4-fold increased likelihood of receiving psychiatry visits (17.2% of WRHA clients vs. 4.2% of NS clients) and 2.5 times more visits on average per client (9.1 avg. visits in MB vs. 3.6 avg. visits in NS). The location of psychiatry services varied, with a greater number of psychiatry visits occurring while in hospital for WRHA HC clients compared to more visits in the community for NS HC clients. Younger age, psychotropic medication use, depressive symptoms, dementia, and having an unstable health condition were significantly associated with receipt of psychiatry visits in both cohorts. Access to psychiatric care differed between the cohorts despite little to no difference in need. We conclude that many home care clients who could have benefitted from psychiatrist visits did not receive them. This is particularly true for rural areas of NS. By linking the RAI-HC with other health data, our study raises important questions about differential access to psychiatry services by site of care (hospital vs. community), by geographical location (MB vs. NS and urban vs. rural) and by age. This has implications for staff training and mental health resources in home care to properly support the mental health needs of clients in care. Study results suggest the need for a mental health strategy within public home care services.
Disease Burden and Attributable Risk Factors of Ovarian Cancer From 1990 to 2017: Findings From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
Authors: Zhou Zhangjian , Wang Xuan , Ren Xueting , Zhou Linghui , Wang Nan , Kang Huafeng
Published: September 2021

Aim: We aimed to estimate the disease burden and risk factors attributable to ovarian cancer, and epidemiological trends at global, regional, and national levels.

Methods: We described ovarian cancer data on incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years as well as age-standardized rates from 1990 to 2017 from the Global Health Data Exchange database. We also estimated the risk factors attributable to ovarian cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years. Measures were stratified by region, country, age, and socio-demographic index. The estimated annual percentage changes and age-standardized rates were calculated to evaluate temporal trends.

Results: Globally, ovarian cancer incident, death cases, and disability-adjusted life-years increased by 88.01, 84.20, and 78.00%, respectively. However, all the corresponding age-standardized rates showed downward trends with an estimated annual percentage change of −0.10 (−0.03 to 0.16), −0.33 (−0.38 to −0.27), and −0.38 (−0.32 to 0.25), respectively. South and East Asia and Western Europe carried the heaviest disease burden. The highest incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life-years were mainly in people aged 50–69 years from 1990 to 2017. High fasting plasma glucose level was the greatest contributor in age-standardized disability-adjusted life-years rate globally as well as in all socio-demographic index quintiles and most Global Disease Burden regions. Other important factors were high body mass index and occupational exposure to asbestos.

Conclusion: Our study provides valuable information on patterns and trends of disease burden and risk factors attributable to ovarian cancer across age, socio-demographic index, region, and country, which may help improve the rational allocation of health resources as well as inform health policies.
Adoption Intention and Factors Influencing the Use of Gerontechnology in Chinese Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Huang Huanhuan , Chen Zhiyu , Cao Songmei , Xiao Mingzhao , Xie Liling , Zhao Qinghua
Published: September 2021

Objective: To explore the Chinese community-dwelling intention of older adults to adopt gerontechnology and its influencing factors.

Design: A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design with an inductive approach was employed. In phase 1, a self-made questionnaire was administered from August 2018 to December 2019. Multifactor logistic regression was used to analyze the adoption intention and factors influencing the use of gerontechnology. In phase 2, participants completed a semistructured interview to explore the adoption intention of a specific form of gerontechnology, Smart Aged Care Platform, from May to July 2020.

Setting: Twelve communities in three districts of Chongqing, China.

Participants: Community-dwelling older adults were included.

Results: A total of 1,180 older adults completed the quantitative study; two-thirds of them (68.7%) showed adoption intention toward gerontechnology. Nineteen participants (10 users and nine nonusers) completed the qualitative study and four themes were explored. Through a summarized understanding of the qualitative and quantitative data, a conceptual model of influencing factors, namely, predictive, enabling, and need factors, was constructed.

Conclusions: This study reveals that most Chinese community-dwelling older adults welcome the emergence of new technologies. However, there was a significant difference in the adoption intention of gerontechnology in Chinese community-dwelling older adults based on their sociodemographic and psychographic characteristics. Our findings extend previous technology acceptance models and theories and contribute to the existing resource base.
A Future Forecasting for FMCG Firm Performance in Covid-19: An Investigation of Consumer and Business Survival
Authors: Sun Yunpeng , Li Ying , Wang Yujing , Jiang Dayang , Liu Xiaojun
Published: September 2021

The Covid-19 outbreak has spread over the world, limiting population and trade, causing job losses, and forcing businesses to close. The study's goal is to look at Covid-19's pandemic and consumer survival as a mediator for the future of running a business when FMCG companies are doing well. The researchers employed a basic random sampling strategy to do a layered transverse evaluation of samples. EFA, CFA, and SEM are used to choose data collection techniques for participants at Covid-19. According to the data, Malaysia has resulted in job losses, business growth, and customer satisfaction retention, as well as an increase in unemployment, company closures, and a drop in overall GDP. The impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on survival, production, and GDP has been demonstrated. Incorporating technology into all aspects of a company's working practices reveals the necessity and capacity of the organization to adapt to new scenarios.
SHAP and LIME: An Evaluation of Discriminative Power in Credit Risk
Authors: Gramegna Alex , Giudici Paolo
Published: September 2021

In credit risk estimation, the most important element is obtaining a probability of default as close as possible to the effective risk. This effort quickly prompted new, powerful algorithms that reach a far higher accuracy, but at the cost of losing intelligibility, such as Gradient Boosting or ensemble methods. These models are usually referred to as “black-boxes”, implying that you know the inputs and the output, but there is little way to understand what is going on under the hood. As a response to that, we have seen several different Explainable AI models flourish in recent years, with the aim of letting the user see why the black-box gave a certain output. In this context, we evaluate two very popular eXplainable AI (XAI) models in their ability to discriminate observations into groups, through the application of both unsupervised and predictive modeling to the weights these XAI models assign to features locally. The evaluation is carried out on real Small and Medium Enterprises data, obtained from official italian repositories, and may form the basis for the employment of such XAI models for post-processing features extraction.
Practical Design Considerations for Performance and Robustness in the Face of Uncertain Flexible Dynamics in Space Manipulators
Authors: Holmes Connor
Published: September 2021

Low frequency dynamics introduced by structural flexibility can result in considerable performance degradation and even instability in on-orbit, robotic manipulators. Although there is a wealth of literature that addresses this problem, the author has found that many advanced solutions are often precluded by practical considerations. On the other hand, classical, robust control methods are tractable for these systems if the design problem is properly constrained. This paper investigates a pragmatic engineering approach that evaluates the system’s stability margins in the face of uncertain, flexible perturbation dynamics with frequencies that lie close to or within the bandwidth of the nominal closed-loop system. The robustness of classical control strategies is studied in the context of both collocated (joint rate) and non-collocated (force/torque and vision-based) feedback. It is shown that robust stability and performance depend on the open-loop control bandwidth of the nominal control law (as designed for a simplified, rigid plant). Namely, the designed bandwidth must be constrained to be lower than the minimum flexible mode frequency of the unmodeled dynamics by a given factor. This strategy gives credence to popular heuristic methods commonly used to reduce the effect of unmodeled dynamics in complex manipulator systems.
On the Presence and Thermalization of Cold Ions in the Exhaust of Antiparallel Symmetric Reconnection
Authors: Norgren Cecilia , Tenfjord Paul , Hesse Michael , Toledo-Redondo Sergio , Li Wen-Ya , Xu Yin , Kwagala Norah Kaggwa , Spinnangr Susanne , Kolstø Håkon , Moretto Therese
Published: September 2021

Using fully kinetic 2.5 dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of anti-parallel symmetric magnetic reconnection, we investigate how initially cold ions are captured by the reconnection process, and how they evolve and behave in the exhaust. We find that initially cold ions can remain cold deep inside the exhaust. Cold ions that enter the exhaust downstream of active separatrices, closer to the dipolarization front, appear as cold counter-streaming beams behind the front. In the off-equatorial region, these cold ions generate ion-acoustic waves that aid in the thermalization both of the incoming and outgoing populations. Closest to the front, due to the stronger magnetization, the ions can remain relatively cold during the neutral plane crossing. In the intermediate exhaust, the weaker magnetization leads to enhanced pitch angle scattering and reflection. Cold ions that enter the exhaust closer to the X line, at active separatrices, evolve into a thermalized exhaust. Here, the cold populations are heated through a combination of thermalization at the separatrices and pitch angle scattering in the curved magnetic field around the neutral plane. Depending on where the ions enter the exhaust, and how long time they have spent there, they are accelerated to different energies. The superposition of separately thermalized ion populations that have been accelerated to different energies form the hot exhaust population.
Fluid Homeostasis May Predict the Prognosis of Non-infectious Fever After Total Knee Arthroplasty Within 7-Day: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Xu Nafei , Xu Taotao , Tan Xiaoxue , Xu Lujie , Ye Menghua , Pan Yue , Tong Peijian , Hu Xueqin , Xu Min
Published: September 2021

Background: In the perioperative management of Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), postoperative fever has always been a concern. Current research focuses on infectious fever, and there is no relevant research on the occurrence of non-infectious fever (NIF) and its risk factors. Hence, the aim of this study was to clarify the risk factors for NIF after TKA, and construct an easy-to-use nomogram.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Consecutive patients undergoing primary unilateral TKA were divided into the non-infectious fever group and the control group. Clinicopathological characters were collected from electronic medical records. Univariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the related independent risk factors. The optimal threshold for each selected factor and combined index was determined when the Youden index achieved the highest value. And the predictive nomogram was developed by these independent factors.

Results: Ultimately, 146 patients were included in this study. Of them, 57 (39.04%) patients experienced NIF. Results of the univariable logistic regression analysis indicated that intraoperative blood loss (OR, 1.002; 95% CI, 1.000–1.0004), postoperative drainage fluid volume (OR, 1.003; 95% CI, 1.001–1.006) and frequency of blood transfusion (n = 1; OR, 0.227; 95% CI, 0.068–0.757) were independent risk factors of NIF occurrence. The predictive nomogram that incorporated the above independent risk factors was developed, and it yielded an areas under the curves (AUC) of 0.731 (95% CI: 0.651–0.801; P < 0.0001) with 54.39% sensitivity and 82.02% specificity.

Conclusions: Non-infectious fever after TKA prolongs the time of antibiotic use and hospital stay. Our results demonstrated that the nomogram may facilitate to predict the individualized risk of NIF occurrence within 7-day by intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage fluid volume and frequency of blood transfusion.
Modern Wound Dressings: Hydrogel Dressings
Authors: Brumberg Valentin , Astrelina Tatiana , Malivanova Tatiana , Samoilov Alexander
Published: September 2021

Chronic wounds do not progress through the wound healing process in a timely manner and are considered a burden for healthcare system; they are also the most common reason for decrease in patient quality of life. Traditional wound dressings e.g., bandages and gauzes, although highly absorbent and effective for dry to mild, exudating wounds, require regular application, which therefore can cause pain upon dressing change. In addition, they have poor adhesional properties and cannot provide enough drainage for the wound. In this regard, the normalization of the healing process in chronic wounds is an extremely urgent task of public health and requires the creation and implementation of affordable dressings for patients with chronic wounds. Modern wound dressings (WDs) are aimed to solve these issues. At the same time, hydrogels, unlike other types of modern WDs (foam, films, hydrocolloids), have positive degradation properties that makes them the perfect choice in applications where a targeted delivery of bioactive substances to the wound is required. This mini review is focused on different types of traditional and modern WDs with an emphasis on hydrogels. Advantages and disadvantages of traditional and modern WDs as well as their applicability to different chronic wounds are elucidated. Furthermore, an effectiveness comparison between hydrogel WDs and the some of the frequently used biotechnologies in the field of regenerative medicine (adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs), mesenchymal stem cells, conditioned media, platelet-rich plasma (PRP)) is provided.
Fine Tuning of Cholinesterase and Glutathione-S-Transferase Activities by Organoruthenium(II) Complexes
Authors: Trobec Tomaž , Sepčić Kristina , Žužek Monika Cecilija , Kladnik Jerneja , Podjed Nina , Cardoso Páscoa Catarina , Turel Iztok , Frangež Robert
Published: September 2021

Cholinesterases (ChEs) show increased activities in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and remain one of the main therapeutic targets for treatment of this neurodegenerative disorder. A library of organoruthenium(II) complexes was prepared to investigate the influence of their structural elements on inhibition of ChEs, and on another pharmacologically important group of enzymes, glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). Two groups of organoruthenium(II) compounds were considered: (i) organoruthenium(II) complexes with p-cymene as an arene ligand, and (ii) organoruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes as CO-releasing molecules. Eight organoruthenium complexes were screened for inhibitory activities against ChEs and GSTs of human and animal origins. Some compounds inhibited all of these enzymes at low micromolar concentrations, while others selectively inhibited either ChEs or GSTs. This study demonstrates the importance of the different structural elements of organoruthenium complexes for their inhibitory activities against ChEs and GSTs, and also proposes some interesting compounds for further preclinical testing as ChE or GST inhibitory drugs.