bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can physical activity protect against depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic? A rapid systematic review
Authors: Wolf Sebastian , Zeibig Johanna , Seiffer Britta , Welkerling Jana , Brokmeier Luisa , Atrott Beatrice , Ehring Thomas , Schuch Felipe Barreto
Published: September 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the entire world population. During the first spread, most governments have implemented quarantine and strict social distancing procedures. Similar measures during recent pandemics resulted in an increase in post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression symptoms. The development of novel interventions to mitigate the mental health burden are of outmost importance. In this rapid review, we aimed to provide a systematic overview of the literature with regard to associations between physical activity (PA) and depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. We searched major databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Sportdiscus, Web of Science) and preprint servers (MedRxivs, SportRxiv, ResearchGate and Google scholar), for relevant papers up to 25/07/2020. We identified a total of 21 observational studies (4 longitudinal, one cross-sectional with retrospective analysis and 16 cross-sectional), including information of 42,293 (age range = 6-70 years, median female = 68%) participants from 5 continents. The early evidence suggests that people who performed PA on a regular basis with higher volume and frequency and kept the PA routines stable, showed less symptoms of depression and anxiety. For instance, those reporting a higher total time spent in moderate to vigorous PA had 12% to 32% lower chances of presenting depressive symptoms and 15% to 34% of presenting anxiety. In order to maintain PA routines during Covid-19, specific volitional and motivational skills might be paramount to overcome Covid-19 specific barriers. Particularly, web-based technologies could be an accessible way to increase motivation and volition for PA and maintain daily PA routines.
Geriatric nutritional risk index predicts cancer prognosis in patients with local advanced rectal cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy followed by curative surgery
Authors: Ide Shozo , Okugawa Yoshinaga , Omura Yusuke , Yamamoto Akira , Ichikawa Takashi , Kitajima Takahito , Shimura Tadanobu , Imaoka Hiroki , Fujikawa Hiroyuki , Yasuda Hiromi , Yokoe Takeshi , Okita Yoshiki , Ohi Masaki , Toiyama Yuji
Published: September 2020

Aim: The clinical significance of the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) in locally advancer rectal cancer (LARC) patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by curative surgery has not been comprehensively evaluated. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 93 LARC patients diagnosed with clinical lymph node metastasis. The GNRI formula was as follows: 1.489×albumin (g/dl)+41.7×current weight/ideal weight. Patients were categorized as GNRI low (GNRI <104.25) or high (GNRI >104.25) according to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for survival analysis. The impact of GNRI status on the prognostic outcomes of curative surgery for LARC was examined. Results: There were 55 (59.14%) and 3841 (40.86%) patients in the GNRI high and low groups, respectively. Of the investigated demographic factors, age, clinical tumor invasion, C-reactive protein (CRP)/albumin ratio (CAR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) were significantly associated with the GNRI value. In Kaplan–Meier analysis, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were significantly shorter in the GNRI low group (OS: p=0.00020, DFS: p=0.0044, log-rank test). Multivariate analysis using a Cox proportional hazards model showed that a low GNRI was an independent risk factor for poor OS [hazard ratio (HR) =3.22; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.37–8.23; p=0.0068) and DFS (HR=2.32; 95%CI=1.15-4.79; p=0.018). Additionally, for patients with pathological lymph node metastasis [ypN(+)], those with a low GNRI showed shorter OS and DFS (OS: p=0.033, DFS: p=0.032, log-rank test).Conclusions: GNRI is a useful marker for LARC patients diagnosed with clinical lymph node metastasis and treated by preoperative CRT followed by curative surgery.
NF-kappaB pathway as a potential target for treatment of critical stage COVID-19 patients
Authors: Kircheis Ralf , Haasbach Emanuel , Lueftenegger Daniel , Heyken Will T. , Ocker Matthias , Planz Oliver
Published: September 2020

Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 show a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from mild febrile illness and cough up to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure and death. Data from patients with severe clinical manifestations compared to patients with mild symptoms indicate that highly dysregulated exuberant inflammatory responses correlate with severity of disease and lethality. Epithelial-immune cell interactions and elevated cytokine and chemokine levels, i.e. cytokine storm, seem to play a central role in severity and lethality in COVID-19. The present perspective places a central cellular pro-inflammatory signal pathway, NF-kappaB, in the context of recently published data for COVID-19 and provides a hypothesis for a therapeutic approach aiming at the simultaneous inhibition of whole cascades of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. The simultaneous inhibition of multiple cytokines/chemokines is expected to have much higher therapeutic potential as compared to single target approaches to prevent cascade (i.e. triggering, synergistic, and redundant) effects of multiple induced cytokines and chemokines in critical stage COVID-19 patients.
Portable continuous wave Doppler ultrasound for primary healthcare in South Africa: can the EUnetHTA Core Model guide evaluation before technology adoption?
Authors: Mueller Debjani , Pattinson Robert C , Hlongwane Tsakane Musa , Busse Reinhard , Panteli Dimitra
Published: September 2020

Background: This study had a threefold aim: to test the value of stakeholder involvement in HTA to reduce the evidence gaps and interpret findings; applicability of the EUnetHTA Core Model (CM) in South Africa on a medical device and thus ultimately provide a first overview of evidence for potential widespread adoption of the technology in a primary health care setting. Used in primary healthcare setting for obstetric use, the technology under assessment is a low-cost continuous wave Doppler ultrasound.Methods: To substantiate the evidence obtained from the literature different stakeholders were identified and consulted. The scoping of the assessment was defined by involving the policy makers to select the domains and the analogous questions relevant to the ultrasound and its use. Additionally, hospital managers were invited to respond to dichotomous questions on the criteria for procurement. The evidence generated from the four steps was used to populate the high-ranked assessment elements of the CM. Results: The HTA took into account the clinical benefit in screening low-risk pregnant women in primary healthcare settings using the technology. It incorporated the evidence on organizational, ethical, and social value of its use together with effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of the technology. The domains on “health problem” and “safety” had a higher rank than the rest of the nine domains. Conclusions: A multi-stakeholder participation in the assessment process provided the necessary transparency and accountability, thus improving the quality of the recommendation resulting from the assessment. The collection of robust evidence and analysis post-introduction will enable the determination of the value of the technology in real-world settings.
Tracheostomy in 80 COVID-19 patients: a multicenter, retrospective, observational study
Authors: Tang Yun , Wu Yongran , Zhu Fangfang , Yang Xiaobo , Huang Chaolin , Hou Guo , Xu Wenhao , Hu Ming , Zhang Lu , Cheng Aiguo , Xu Zhengqin , Liu Boyi , Hu Song , Zhu Guochao , Fan Xuepeng , Zhang Xijing , Yang Yadong , Feng Huibin , Yu Lixia , Wang Bing , Li Zhiqiang , Peng Yong , Shen Zubo , Fu Shouzhi , Ouyang Yaqi , Xu Jiqian , Zou Xiaojing , Fang Minghao , Yu Zhui , Hu Bo , Shang You
Published: September 2020

The aim of our study was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia who underwent elective tracheostomies. We investigated all COVID-19 patients who underwent elective tracheostomies in intensive care units (ICUs) of 23 hospitals in Hubei Province, China, from January 8, 2020 to March 25, 2020. Demographic information, clinical characteristics, treatment, details of the tracheostomy procedure, successful weaning after tracheostomy, and living status were collected and analyzed. A total of 80 patients were included. The median duration from endotracheal intubation to tracheostomy was 17.5 [IQR 11.3-27.0] days. Most tracheotomies were performed by ICU physicians (62 (77.5%)) and using percutaneous techniques (63 (78.8%)) at the ICU bedside (76 (95.0%)). At 60 days after intubation, 31 (38.8%) patients experienced successful weaning from the ventilator, 17 (21.2%) patients were discharged from the ICU, and 43 (53.8%) patients had died. Higher 60-day mortality (22 (73.3%) vs 21 (42.0%)) was identified in patients who underwent early tracheostomy. In patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, tracheostomies were feasible to conduct by ICU physicians at bedside with few major complications. However, tracheostomies within 14 days of endotracheal intubation should be avoided.
Collateral effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on lung cancer diagnosis in Korea
Authors: Park Ji Young , Lee Ye Jin , Kim Taehee , Lee Chang Youl , Kim Hwan Il , Kim Joo-Hee , Park Sunghoon , Hwang Yong Il , Jung Ki-Suck , Jang Seung Hun
Published: September 2020

Background The COVID-19 pandemic is predicted to significantly affect patients with lung cancer, owing to its rapid progression and high mortality. Studies on lung cancer diagnosis and treatment during an epidemic are lacking. We analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on lung cancer diagnosis in Korea, where lung cancer incidence continues to rise.Methods The number of newly diagnosed lung cancer cases in three university-affiliated hospitals during the pandemic and their clinical features were compared with lung cancer cases diagnosed during the same period in the past three years. The effectiveness of measures taken by the study hospitals to prevent nosocomial transmission was reviewed.Results Between February and June during 2017–2020. 612 patients with lung cancer were diagnosed. During the pandemic, the number of patients who sought consultation at the division of pulmonology of study hospitals dropped by 16% from the previous year. Responding to the pandemic, the involved hospitals created physically isolated triage areas for patients with acute respiratory infection symptoms. Wide-range screening and preventive measures were implemented, thus minimizing delay in lung cancer diagnosis. No patients acquired COVID-19 due to hospital exposure. The proportion of patients with stage III–IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) significantly increased (2020: 74.7% vs. 2017: 57.9%, 2018: 66.7%, 2019: 62.7%, p=0.011). The number of lung cancers diagnosed during this period and the previous year remained the same.Conclusion The proportion of patients with advanced NSCLC increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 lock-down significantly reduced the number of surgical presentations in an emergency department
Authors: Fahrner René , Bähler Stefan , Lindner Gregor
Published: September 2020

IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute virus infection that was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic. As a consequence, the Swiss government decreed a public lock-down to reduce and restrict further infections. The aim of this investigation was to provide the impact of the COVID-19 lock-down on the presentations of patients in an interdisciplinary emergency department (ED).Patients, Materials and MethodsA retrospective study was performed at an interdisciplinary Swiss ED during the lock-down period. All patients who presented to the ED were enrolled in this investigation and compared to a control cohort during the same time period in 2019. Data regarding patient characteristics, medical specialty, time course of presentations during the observation period, and outpatient or hospital admission were analyzed.ResultsIn total, 7,072 patients were included in the final analysis. During the lock-down period, the number of ED presentations significantly decreased by 29% in comparison to the control period in the previous year (p<0.0001). The analysis of the time course revealed that in each week, the number of patients was lower, with a 13% to 43% reduction. Irrespective of the medical specialty, the number of presentations decreased during the COVID-19 situation, whereas this decrease was higher in surgical diseases (31%, p<0.0001) than in non-surgical presentations (3.6%, p=0.4).DiscussionThe socio-economic lock-down impacted the number of presentations in an ED. Mainly, surgical diseases and injuries were affected in terms of a reduction of presentations during the COVID-19 lock-down period.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors use and effects on prognosis of COVID-19 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Qian Wenwei , Ye Ying , Zuo Lugen , Song Ting , Xu Qing , Wang Yinghong , Tian Yun
Published: September 2020

Background: The influence of prior exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection remains unknown. Methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from the inception of each database through August 8, 2020. We included studies that reported ICI use in cancer patients and their prognosis in the context of COVID-19. Raw data from the included studies were pooled to determine effect estimates. Chi-squared and I2 tests were used to calculate heterogeneity among the included studies.Results: Eighteen studies were included for the systematic review, and 8 of those were included in the meta-analysis. Patients with prior ICI treatment exhibited a higher rate of hospitalization (OR [odds ratio] 2.6, 95% CI 1.45-4.68, p=0.001; I2=0%) and severe disease (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.14-3.43, p=0.015). However, the OR of mortality in ICI-exposed cases was similar to non-ICI exposed patients (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.60-1.34, p= 0.60; I2=49%). No statistically significant difference in mortality was observed between patients exposed to ICI and other antitumor treatments.Conclusions: Although a higher rate of hospitalization and severe disease was observed, prior exposure to ICI did not significantly increase the rate of death in the context of COVID-19.
Implementation of Low Cost SDR in HF Band for Emergency Application
Authors: Gummineni Madhuri , Polipalli Trinatha Rao
Published: September 2020

When events are uncontrolled due to hurricanes, the communication will breakdown. During this strenuous situation there is a need for reliable communication system to provide alert and emergency services. There remains a particular attention towards portability, reconfigurability, and interoperability in a communication system to reduce response time during emergencies. The real-time implementation helps to come across alternatives to overcome practical difficulties and challenges. This motivates us to implement a Relay Node in real-time using SDR , hence an experiment is carried out in order to gain first hand experience between different types of architecture of SDR i.e.VUSDR, HackRF One, and USRP. The architecture of Low-cost VUSDR and comparison between different types of SDR has been presented in this paper. Future scope and applications are presented.
Integration of Deep and Ensemble Learning for Detecting COVID-19 in Computed Tomography Images
Authors: Haidar Ali , Holloway Lois
Published: September 2020

This paper presents an approach for detecting covid-19 in Computed Tomography (CT) images by integrating deep convolutional neural networks and ensembles of decision trees. The proposed approach consisted of three steps. In the first step, the CT images slices were collected and processed. In the second step, a deep convolutional neural network was trained to predict covid-19 in the CT images. In the third step, deep features were extracted and were used to train an ensemble of decision trees. Six types/packages of ensembles of decision trees were investigated: extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), bagged decision trees (BDT), random forest (RF), adaptive boosting decision trees (Adaboost), gradient boosting decision trees (GBDT), and dropouts meet multiple additive regression trees (DART). The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, f1-score, precision, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were calculated to compare the models against each other. The proposed approach revealed the highest performance with a RF that reported 0.87 accuracy, 0.87 f1-score, and 0.90 AUC. The developed models revealed similar performance when compared to previously published models. This highlights the efficiency of combining deep networks with ensembles of decision trees for detecting covid-19.
Landscape Performance, Flowering, and Female Fertility of Eight Trailing Lantana Varieties Grown in Central and Northern Florida
Authors: Wilson Sandra B. , Steppe Carlee , Deng Zhanao , Druffel Keri , Knox Gary W. , van Santen Edzard
Published: September 2020

Trailing lantana [Lantana montevidensis (Spreng.) Briq.] is a low-growing, woody ornamental valued for its heat and drought tolerance and repeat blooming of purple or white flowers throughout much of the year. In 2011, trailing lantana was predicted to have high invasion risk by the UF-IFAS’s assessment of non-native plants in Florida, and therefore it was no longer recommended for use. All cultivars fall under this designation unless proven otherwise. Eight trailing lantana varieties were obtained from wholesale growers or naturalized populations found in Texas and Australia. Plants were propagated vegetatively, finished in 4-inch pots, and planted in field trials located in central (Balm) and northern (Citra) Florida. Throughout the 24-week study from June to November, mean plant quality was between 4.4 and 4.7 (on a 1 to 5 scale) for U.S. varieties and 3.9 for the Australian form. Mean flowering was between 4.1 and 4.5 (on a 1 to 5 scale) for U.S. trailing lantana varieties and 3.5 for Australian trailing lantana. Australian trailing lantana differed from other U.S. varieties tested, being smaller in size, more sensitive to cold, and having a high female fertility index (producing abundant fruit with viable seed per peduncle). Our findings indicate that some U.S. varieties of trailing lantana are unlikely to present an ecological threat and merit consideration for production and use.
Tomato Growth, Yield, and Root Development, Soil Nitrogen and Water Distribution as Affected by Nitrogen and Irrigation Rates on a Florida Sandy Soil
Authors: Ayankojo Ibukun T. , Morgan Kelly T. , Kadyampakeni Davie M. , Liu Guodong D.
Published: September 2020

Effective nutrient and irrigation management practices are critical for optimum growth and yield in open-field fresh-market tomato production. Although nutrient and irrigation management practices have been well-studied for tomato production in Florida, more studies of the current highly efficient production systems would be considered essential. Therefore, a two-season (Fall 2016 and Spring 2017) study was conducted in Immokalee, FL, to evaluate the effects of the nitrogen (N) rates under different irrigation regimes and to determine the optimum N requirement for open-field fresh-market tomato production. To evaluate productivity, the study investigated the effects of N rates and irrigation regimes on plant and root growth, yield, and production efficiency of fresh-market tomato. The study demonstrated that deficit irrigation (DI) targeting 66% daily evapotranspiration (ET) replacement significantly increased tomato root growth compared with full irrigation (FI) at 100% ET. Similarly, DI application increased tomato growth early in the season compared with FI. Therefore, irrigation applications may be adjusted downward from FI, especially early during a wet season, thereby potentially improving irrigation water use efficiency (iWUE) and reducing leaching potential of Florida sandy soils. However, total marketable yield significantly increased under FI compared with DI. This suggests that although DI may increase early plant growth, the application of DI throughout the season may result in yield reduction. Although N application rates had no significant effects on biomass production, tomato marketable yield with an application rate of 134 kg·ha−1 N was significantly lower compared with other N application rates (179, 224, and 269 kg·ha−1). It was also observed that there were no significant yield benefits with N application rates higher than 179 kg·ha−1. During the fall, iWUE was higher under DI (33.57 kg·m−3) than under FI (25.57 kg·m−3); however, iWUE was similar for both irrigation treatments during spring (FI = 14.04 kg·m−3; DI = 15.29 kg·m−3). The N recovery (REC-N) rate was highest with 134 kg·ha−1 N; however, REC-N was similar with 179, 224, and 269 kg·ha−1 N rates during both fall and spring. Therefore, these study results could suggest that DI could be beneficial to tomato production only when applied during early growth stages, but not throughout the growing season. Both yield and efficiency results indicated that the optimum N requirement for open-field fresh-market tomato production in Florida may not exceed 179 kg·ha−1 N.
Development of Language Awareness Scale regarding Daily Life
Authors: EROL Mustafa , KARAKAYA İsmail
Published: September 2020

The aim of this study is to develop the language awareness scale regarding daily life. The study group consisted of 606 undergraduate students studying at a university in Istanbul. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used in the study. EFA result indicates that the scale consists of 17 items and 4 factors and 67% of the total variance is explained. Factors were named as Individual Awareness, Social Media Awareness, Awareness Regarding Daily Life and Awareness in the Mass Media. As a result of the CFA, it was determined that the scale had 17 items and the fit indices of the structure were sufficient (χ2 / sd = 2.54, RMSEA = 069, SRMR =.07). Item-total correlations of the scale were found to range between 79 and 89. Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale was found to be as 86. Based on these findings, it can be said that the scale can be used in a valid and reliable way to measure students' language awareness about daily life.
Comparison of Teacher Training Programs in terms of Attitudes towards Teaching Profession and Teacher Self-Efficacy Perceptions: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: YELPAZE İsmail , YAKAR Levent
Published: September 2020

The aim of this study is to conduct a meta-analysis of studies comparing teacher training programs in terms of attitude towards teaching profession and perception of teacher self-efficacy. For this purpose, the results of the study comparing the faculty of education (FE) and other teacher training programs/faculties were searched and recorded separately for both subjects. A total of 36 studies were recorded in accordance with the criteria, and 27 of these studies were used for the attitude towards teaching profession and 24 for the teacher self-efficacy perceptions. According to the results of the meta-analysis conducted according to the random effect model, teacher candidates in FE have more negative attitude and lower self-efficiency than ones in other teacher training faculties/programs. The difference in both subjects was found to be weak but not statistically significant. The effect size of most common comparison, FE-Pedagogical Formation Certificate Program comparisons in the literature is similar to the general effect. It is concluded that faculties of education whose main purpose is to train teachers do not increase these features of their students sufficiently.
Participação Social na Gestão de Cidades
Authors: Corrêa Eduardo de Morais , Vasconcellos Sobrinho Mário
Published: September 2020

O artigo discute a participação social na gestão de cidades. De forma particular, analisa a experiência da participação social nos processos de elaboração e revisão dos planos diretores de 1993 e 2008 do município de Belém/PA. Toma como referência teórica o approach do direito à cidade. Trata-se de um resultado de uma pesquisa mais ampla sobre participação social, construção de cidades democráticas e o uso da tecnologia da informação para a promoção do direito à participação social na política urbana. Trata-se de uma pesquisa-ação com abordagem qualitativa. No caso deste artigo, que é parte da pesquisa mais ampla, utilizou-se a análise documental. A organização e o exame dos materiais coletados foram realizados pela técnica do mapeamento cognitivo. O artigo demonstra que no Brasil, a cidade de Belém despontou como vanguarda na questão da participação social no cotejo entre os processos de elaboração e revisão dos seus planos diretores, prevendo, em termos formais, a prática da democracia participativa. Não obstante os avanços verificados até 2008, verificou-se que na experiência iniciada em 2018 houve um retrocesso quanto à proporção da representação da sociedade civil no Conselho de Desenvolvimento Urbano.
CASC15: A Tumor-Associated Long Non-Coding RNA
Authors: Wang Bei , Xu Wen , Cai Yuxuan , Guo Chong , Zhou Gang , Yuan Chengfu
Published: September 2020

Background:

CASC15, one of long non-coding RNA, is involved in the regulation of many tumor biological
processes, and is expected to become a new biological therapeutic target. This paper aims to elucidate
the pathophysiological function of CASC15 in various tumors.

Methods:

The relationship between CASC15 and tumors was analyzed by searching references, and summarized
the specific pathophysiological mechanism of CASC15.

Results:

LncRNA CASC15 is closely related to tumor development, and has been shown to be abnormally high
expressed in all kinds of tumors, including breast cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma,
gastric cancer, bladder cancer, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, cardiac hypertrophy, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,
leukemia, melanoma, tongue squamous cell carcinoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. However,
CASC15 has been found to be down-expressed abnormally in ovarian cancer, glioma and neuroblastoma. Besides,
it is identified that CASC15 can affect the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of tumors.

Conclusion:

LncRNA CASC15 has the potential to become a new therapeutic target or marker for a variety of
tumors.
Hydrogen Gas as an Exotic Performance-Enhancing Agent: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Ostojic Sergej M.
Published: September 2020

Background:

Hydrogen gas (H2) has entered the world of experimental therapeutics approximately
four and a half decades ago. Over the years, this simple molecule appears to drive more scientific attention, perhaps
due to a dualism of H2 affirmative features demonstrated in numerous in vitro, animal and human studies
on one side, and still puzzling mechanism(s) of its biological activity on the other. Up to this point, H2 was scrutinized
for more than 170 different disease models and pathologies, and many research groups across the world
have lately started to dynamically investigate its conceivable performance-enhancing potential.

Methods:

We outlined here the studies indexed in leading research databases (PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS,
JSTORE) that explored the effects of hydrogen on exercise performance, and also addressed important restraints,
open questions, and windows of opportunities for forthcoming research and possible H2 enactment in
exercise physiology. About two dozen trials have been identified in this domain, with most of the trials published
during the past 5 years, while drinking hydrogen-rich water recognized as the most convenient method to
deliver H2 in both animal and human studies.

Results:

Either administered as an inhalational gas, enteral hydrogen-rich water, or intravenous hydrogen-rich
saline, H2 seems to favorably affect various exercise performance outcomes and biomarkers of exercise-associated
fatigue, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Not all studies have shown corroborative effects, and it appears
that the gold-standard protocol for applying H2 in the field of exercise science does not exist at the moment,
with studies markedly differ in the dose of H2 administered, the duration of treatment, and the source of
hydrogen.

Conclusion:

H2 is a newfangled and rather effective performance-enhancing agent, yet its promising ergogenic
potency has to be further validated and characterized in more well-controlled, appropriately sampled and longterm
mechanistic trials. Also, appropriate regulation of hydrogen utilization in sport as an exotic medical gas
may require distinctive legislative actions of relevant regulatory agencies in the future.
Nanoscale Drug Delivery Systems for Glaucoma: Experimental and In Silico Advances
Authors: Sharma Smriti , Bhatia Vinayak
Published: September 2020

In this review, nanoscale-based drug delivery systems, particularly in relevance to the
antiglaucoma drugs, have been discussed. In addition to that, the latest computational/in silico advances
in this field are examined in brief. Using nanoscale materials for drug delivery is an ideal option to target
tumours, and the drug can be released in areas of the body where traditional drugs may fail to act.
Nanoparticles, polymeric nanomaterials, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), quantum dots (QDs),
liposomes and graphene are the most important nanomaterials used for drug delivery. Ocular drug delivery
is one of the most common and difficult tasks faced by pharmaceutical scientists because of many
challenges like circumventing the blood-retinal barrier, corneal epithelium and the blood-aqueous barrier.
Authors found compelling empirical evidence of scientists relying on in-silico approaches to develop
novel drugs and drug delivery systems for treating glaucoma. This review in nanoscale drug delivery
systems will help us understand the existing queries and evidence gaps and will pave the way for the
effective design of novel ocular drug delivery systems.
Synthesis and Biological Activity Study of Tanshinone Derivatives: A Literature and Patent Review
Authors: Huang He , Song Chuanjun , Chang Junbiao
Published: September 2020

Tanshinones are a class of bioactive compounds present in the Chinese herbal medicine Danshen
(Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge), containing among others, abietane diterpene quinone scaffolds. Chemical synthesis
and biological activity studies of natural and unnatural tanshinone derivatives have been reviewed in
this article.
Bronchospasmolytic and Adenosine Binding Activity of 8-(Proline / Pyrazole)- Substituted Xanthine Derivatives
Authors: Singh Sneha , Ojha Madhwi , Yadav Divya , Kachler Sonja , Klotz Karl-Norbert , Yadav Rakesh
Published: September 2020

Background:

8-Phenyltheophylline derivatives exhibit prophylactic effects at a specific
dose but do not produce the cardiovascular or emetic side effects associated with xanthines, thereby
exhibiting unique characteristics of potential therapeutic importance.

Methods:

Novel series of 8-(proline/pyrazole)-substituted xanthine analogs has been synthesized. The affinity and selectivity of compounds to adenosine receptors have been assessed by radioligand binding studies. The synthesized compounds also
showed good bronchospasmolytic properties (increased onset of bronchospasm; decreased duration of jerks) with 100% survival of animals in comparison to the standard drug. Besides, compound 8f & 9f showed good binding affinity in comparison to other synthesized compounds in the micromolar range.

Results:

The maximum binding affinity of these compounds was observed for A2B receptors,
which was ~ 7 or 10 times higher as compared to A1, A2A and A3 receptors. The newly synthesized
derivatives 8f, 9a-f, 17g-m, and 18g-m displayed significant protection against histamine
aerosol induced bronchospasm in guinea pigs.

Conclusion:

Newly synthesized proline/pyrazole based xanthines compounds showed a satisfactory
binding affinity for adenosine receptor subtypes. Replacement or variation of substituted proline
ring with substituted pyrazole scaffold at the 8th-position of xanthine moiety resulted in the reduction
of adenosine binding affinity and bronchospasmolytic effects.
An Efficient Catalytic Method for the C-N Acylation of Heterocycles by Schiff Base Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) Transition Metal Complexes
Authors: Hegade Sujit , Gaikwad Gautam , Jadhav Yuvraj , Chavan Sanjay , Mulik Ganpatrao
Published: September 2020

The catalytic activity of Schiff base Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) transition metal
complexes was tested for N-Acylation of heterocycles with acetyl chloride. It is observed that all
the complexes worked as efficient catalysts. The structural type of complexes was studied by an Xray
powder diffractogram (XRD). The mixed ligand complexes with PPh3 ligand show greater
activity as compared to Phen complexes and Schiff base complexes. Especially complex
[Ni(L)(PPh3)2Cl2] efficiently worked as a catalyst because of high thermal stability (TGA-DSC)
and large catalytic surface area (BET).
Knowledge of Non-communicable Disease Risk Factors among Community Health Workers in South Africa
Authors: Onagbiye Sunday O. , Tsolekile Lungiswa P. , Puoane Thandi
Published: September 2020

Introduction:

Community Health Workers play an important role in supporting patients with chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), therefore they need to be constantly updated with current knowledge to enable them to perform their activities effectively. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of NCDs risk factors among Community Health Workers (CHWs) in South Africa.

Methodology:

A triple “A” approach (assessment, analysis, and action) was used among 40 CHWs working with patients with chronic non-communicable diseases. All CHWs gave voluntary, informed consent in writing and verbally before they were allowed to participate in the study. For the initial assessment, CHWs completed a questionnaire to assess knowledge about the knowledge of NCDs. The questionnaire was analysed to determine their baseline performance. The findings of the assessment identified shortcomings in the knowledge of CHWs, specifically on diabetes and hypertension knowledge. Feedback was given to the CHWs followed by a short training on healthy living, focusing on the risk factors associated with NCDs (diabetes and hypertension). Training of CHWs was conducted using an adapted national training programme together with CHW prevention of healthy lifestyle modules designed by experts from the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape. All statistical tests were two-tailed, and p<.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

The majority (97.5%) of the CHWs who had their knowledge assessed were women. Fifty-five percent (55%) were within age 30-45 years, while 45% were between the ages 46-60 years. The majority of the participants had secondary school education (92.5%) and 1-15 years of experience (97.5%) as CHWs. The results of the post-training assessment revealed that 48.5%, 63.6%, 42.4%, 72.7%, 42.5%, 57.6%, and 18.2% had poor knowledge of diabetes, hypertension, diabetes complications, hypertension complications, advice for diabetic patient, advice for hypertension, and nutrition advice of NCDs, respectively. Regression analysis showed that those with higher education levels were significantly highly likely to be knowledgeable about hypertension complications (OR=19.6, CI=1.14, 336.0).

Conclusion:

There was poor knowledge of risk factors for NCDs among CHWs. An association exists between the knowledge of risk factors for NCDs and education levels among the participants. There is a need for regular refresher training programs for CHWs to upscale their knowledge about NCDs, coupled with frequent review of CHWs program and curriculum.
Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Performance about Disaster Management: A Case of Iran
Authors: Far Sedighe S. T. , Marzaleh Milad A. , Shokrpour Nasrin , Ravangard Ramin
Published: September 2020

Background:

Iran is a disaster-prone country in which many natural and man-made disasters happen every year. Because the health sector is vital due to its nature of treatment and rehabilitation of the injured after the disasters, all health care providers, especially hospital nurses, should be prepared to provide the services they need.

Objective:

The present study aimed to determine the level of knowledge, attitude, and performance of nurses about disaster management in teaching hospitals affiliated to Iran, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2019.

Methods:

This cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study was conducted on a sample of 230 nurses working in the teaching hospitals of Iran, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, who were selected using the stratified sampling proportional to size and simple random sampling methods. The data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire containing 20 questions in three dimensions of knowledge, attitude, and performance. Then, the collected data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 through independent samples t-test, ANOVA and Tukey tests at the significance level of 5%.

Results:

The results showed that the highest and lowest mean scores were related to the attitude (2.38±0.19) and knowledge (1.70±0.50) of the nurses, respectively. However, all three dimensions were at a moderate level. The results showed significant relationships between the mean score of performance and the gender, marital status, age, and work experience of the nurses. In addition, statistically significant relationships were found between the mean score of knowledge and their age and work experience (p<0.05).

Conclusion:

According to the findings, the following suggestions can be made to increase the knowledge and performance of the nurses for being prepared in critical situations: reducing the duration and increasing the quality of training classes and workshops on disaster preparedness; providing some incentives for nurses, especially female, married, older, and more experienced ones to attend these classes; and improving the methods of training materials related to disaster management.
A Review on Machine-learning Based Code Smell Detection Techniques in Object-oriented Software System(s)
Authors: Kaur Amandeep , Jain Sushma , Goel Shivani , Dhiman Gaurav
Published: September 2020

Background:

Code smells are symptoms that something may be wrong in software systems
that can cause complications in maintaining software quality. In literature, there exist many
code smells and their identification is far from trivial. Thus, several techniques have also been proposed
to automate code smell detection in order to improve software quality.

Objective:

This paper presents an up-to-date review of simple and hybrid machine learning-based
code smell detection techniques and tools.

Methods:

We collected all the relevant research published in this field till 2020. We extracted the
data from those articles and classified them into two major categories. In addition, we compared the
selected studies based on several aspects like code smells, machine learning techniques, datasets,
programming languages used by datasets, dataset size, evaluation approach, and statistical testing.

Results:

A majority of empirical studies have proposed machine-learning based code smell detection
tools. Support vector machine and decision tree algorithms are frequently used by the researchers.
Along with this, a major proportion of research is conducted on Open Source Softwares (OSS)
such as Xerces, Gantt Project and ArgoUml. Furthermore, researchers pay more attention to Feature
Envy and Long Method code smells.

Conclusion:

We identified several areas of open research like the need for code smell detection
techniques using hybrid approaches, the need for employing valid industrial datasets, etc.
Big Data Analytics for MANET Based Sustainable Smart Healthcare Solution
Authors: Gautam Ashu , Mahajan Rashima , Zafar Sherin
Published: September 2020

Objective:

Collaboration of most promising upcoming technologies like big data and Internet
of Things (IoT) plays a significant role in the sustainable development of the smart world. One
of the important applications is the amalgamation of such technology in the e-healthcare sector,
where private information is being transferred from one end device to other equipment. Sensors and
different other instruments engaged in the e-healthcare sector, for transferring important vital information
of the patients, are categorized as Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN). An attacker can introduce
many malicious activities via different types of attacks; ultimately, such activities can produce
an outturn in Denial of Service (DoS) of important routines which need to be completed in stipulated
time. Therefore, it is important to showcase the effect of various attacks affecting the routing methodology
of the protocols of such networks.

Methods:

In this research study, the most suitable routing protocol to handle DDoS attacks is simulated
and estimated for the Quality of Service (QoS) in smart network infrastructure in terms of energy
consumption and jitter in changing nodes scenario, which aids in providing implications to enhance
existing protocols and alleviate the consequence of DDoS instigated by such attacks.

Results:

The performance of AODV (Adhoc on Demand Vector), SAODV (Secured Adhoc On Demand)
and HWMP (Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol) is compared and tabularized, which are the
most popularly utilized protocols in the healthcare environment.

Conclusion:

The simulation results show that the HWMP outperformed well than the other two routing
protocols in terms of evaluation metrics, namely energy consumption and jitter, which could be
considered much less vulnerable against DDoS attacks prevailing in the sustainable healthcare sector.
Feasibility of Using a Single Heart Rate–Based Measure for Real-time Feedback in a Voluntary Deep Breathing App for Children: Data Collection and Algorithm Development
Authors: Petersen Christian L , Görges Matthias , Todorova Evgenia , West Nicholas C , Newlove Theresa , Ansermino J Mark
Published: September 2020

Background

Deep diaphragmatic breathing, also called belly breathing, is a popular behavioral intervention that helps children cope with anxiety, stress, and their experience of pain. Combining physiological monitoring with accessible mobile technology can motivate children to comply with this intervention through biofeedback and gaming. These innovative technologies have the potential to improve patient experience and compliance with strategies that reduce anxiety, change the experience of pain, and enhance self-regulation during distressing medical procedures.

Objective

The aim of this paper was to describe a simple biofeedback method for quantifying breathing compliance in a mobile smartphone app.

Methods

A smartphone app was developed that combined pulse oximetry with an animated protocol for paced deep breathing. We collected photoplethysmogram data during spontaneous and subsequently paced deep breathing in children. Two measures, synchronized respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSAsync) and the corresponding relative synchronized inspiration/expiration heart rate ratio (HR-I:Esync), were extracted from the photoplethysmogram.

Results

Data collected from 80 children aged 5-17 years showed a positive RSAsync effect in all participants during paced deep breathing, with a median (IQR; range) HR-I:Esync ratio of 1.26 (1.16-1.35; 1.01-1.60) during paced deep breathing compared to 0.98 (0.96-1.02; 0.82-1.18) during spontaneous breathing (median difference 0.25, 95% CI 0.23-0.30; P<.001). The measured HR-I:Esync values appeared to be independent of age.

Conclusions

An HR-I:Esync level of 1.1 was identified as an age-independent threshold for programming the breathing pattern for optimal compliance in biofeedback.
Construction of a Digestive System Tumor Knowledge Graph Based on Chinese Electronic Medical Records: Development and Usability Study
Authors: Xiu Xiaolei , Qian Qing , Wu Sizhu
Published: September 2020

Background

With the increasing incidences and mortality of digestive system tumor diseases in China, ways to use clinical experience data in Chinese electronic medical records (CEMRs) to determine potentially effective relationships between diagnosis and treatment have become a priority. As an important part of artificial intelligence, a knowledge graph is a powerful tool for information processing and knowledge organization that provides an ideal means to solve this problem.

Objective

This study aimed to construct a semantic-driven digestive system tumor knowledge graph (DSTKG) to represent the knowledge in CEMRs with fine granularity and semantics.

Methods

This paper focuses on the knowledge graph schema and semantic relationships that were the main challenges for constructing a Chinese tumor knowledge graph. The DSTKG was developed through a multistep procedure. As an initial step, a complete DSTKG construction framework based on CEMRs was proposed. Then, this research built a knowledge graph schema containing 7 classes and 16 kinds of semantic relationships and accomplished the DSTKG by knowledge extraction, named entity linking, and drawing the knowledge graph. Finally, the quality of the DSTKG was evaluated from 3 aspects: data layer, schema layer, and application layer.

Results

Experts agreed that the DSTKG was good overall (mean score 4.20). Especially for the aspects of “rationality of schema structure,” “scalability,” and “readability of results,” the DSTKG performed well, with scores of 4.72, 4.67, and 4.69, respectively, which were much higher than the average. However, the small amount of data in the DSTKG negatively affected its “practicability” score. Compared with other Chinese tumor knowledge graphs, the DSTKG can represent more granular entities, properties, and semantic relationships. In addition, the DSTKG was flexible, allowing personalized customization to meet the designer's focus on specific interests in the digestive system tumor.

Conclusions

We constructed a granular semantic DSTKG. It could provide guidance for the construction of a tumor knowledge graph and provide a preliminary step for the intelligent application of knowledge graphs based on CEMRs. Additional data sources and stronger research on assertion classification are needed to gain insight into the DSTKG’s potential.