bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patient characteristics, pain treatment patterns, and incidence of total joint replacement in a US population with osteoarthritis
Authors: Shinde Mayura , Rodriguez-Watson Carla , Zhang Tancy , Carrell David S. , Mendelsohn Aaron B. , Nam Young Hee , Carruth Amanda , Petronis Kenneth R. , McMahill-Walraven Cheryl N. , Jamal-Allial Aziza , Nair Vinit , Pawloski Pamala A. , Hickman Anne , Brown Mark T. , Francis Jennie , Hornbuckle Ken , Brown Jeffrey S. , Mo Jingping
Published: April 2022

Background
Currently available medications for chronic osteoarthritis pain are only moderately effective and their use is limited in many patients because of serious adverse effects and contraindications. The primary surgical option for osteoarthritis is total joint replacement (TJR). The objectives of this study were to describe the treatment history of patients with osteoarthritis receiving prescription pain medications and/or intra-articular corticosteroid injections, and to estimate the incidence of TJR in these patients.
Methods
This retrospective, multicenter, cohort study utilized health plan administrative claims data (January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2019) of adult patients with osteoarthritis in the Innovation in Medical Evidence Development and Surveillance Distributed Database, a subset of the US FDA Sentinel Distributed Database. Patients were analyzed in two cohorts: those with prevalent use of “any pain medication” (prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], opioids, and/or intra-articular corticosteroid injections) using only the first qualifying dispensing (index date); and those with prevalent use of “each specific pain medication class” with all qualifying treatment episodes identified.
Results
Among 1 992 670 prevalent users of “any pain medication”, pain medications prescribed on the index date were NSAIDs (596 624 [29.9%] patients), opioids (1 161 806 [58.3%]), and intra-articular corticosteroids (323 459 [16.2%]). Further, 92 026 patients received multiple pain medications on the index date, including 71 632 (3.6%) receiving both NSAIDs and opioids. Altogether, 20.6% of patients used an NSAID at any time following an opioid index dispensing and 17.2% used an opioid following an NSAID index dispensing. The TJR incidence rates per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI]) were 3.21 (95% CI: 3.20–3.23) in the “any pain medication” user cohort, and among those receiving “each specific pain medication class” were NSAIDs, 4.63 (95% CI: 4.58–4.67); opioids, 7.45 (95% CI: 7.40–7.49); and intra-articular corticosteroids, 8.05 (95% CI: 7.97–8.13).
Conclusions
In patients treated with prescription medications for osteoarthritis pain, opioids were more commonly prescribed at index than NSAIDs and intra-articular corticosteroid injections. Of the pain medication classes examined, the incidence of TJR was highest in patients receiving intra-articular corticosteroids and lowest in patients receiving NSAIDs.
Trial registration:
Not applicable.
Paroxysmal hemicrania in children and adolescents: a systematic review of case series and case reports
Authors: Bemanalizadeh Maryam , Mansouri Vahid , Dakkali Mohammad Sedigh , Qahremani Reihane
Published: April 2022

Background It has been so long since a child was first diagnosed with paroxysmal hemicrania, however, it is unknown whether children's paroxysmal hemicrania follows the same patterns as adults. We aim to report the accessible demographic, clinical and radiological characteristics of reported pediatric paroxysmal hemicrania.Methods This study followed the latest version of PRISMA. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched systematically without time limitation. We included all peer-reviewed articles including observational or interventional studies reporting paroxysmal hemicrania cases in children or adolescents based on ICHD criteria. Data extracted included paroxysmal hemicrania class, gender, age, age of onset, frequency, duration, site, severity, and quality of pains, triggers, autonomic and migrainous symptoms, as well as a sense of restlessness/agitation, response to treatment, laboratory investigations, imaging, comorbidity, and family history. For quality assessment, two independent reviewers assessed the methodological quality of the included studies through the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist. ResultsA total of 182 records were identified and reduced to 116 after removing duplicates. After screening, 22 articles met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the studies represent 35 children or adolescents with paroxysmal hemicrania. We found a male to female sex ratio of 1.125:1. Onset occurred at a broad range of 1–14 years. The mean age of onset among reported cases in children and adolescents was 6.30 years, while the mean age of diagnosis was 7.96 years. The attacks frequency and duration were greatly varied. The left-sided pain was approximately reported twice more than the right-sided headaches. The characteristic of the pain was usually severe in intensity making children restless or agitated during an attack. In nearly all of the cases, it was accompanied by ipsilateral cranial autonomic features. While the majority of attacks are spontaneous, there were some common triggers. The physical examination, EEG, and brain MRI were normal. Almost all patients benefited from Indomethacin and showed complete response to treatment, while some needed combination treatment of Indomethacin with other medications.ConclusionAlthough pediatric-onset paroxysmal hemicrania has similar features to adult-onset paroxysmal hemicrania, there are some misleading challenges with ICHD criteria for younger children, limiting the diagnosis. Moreover, due to concomitant migrainous features paroxysmal hemicrania may be confused with migraine in children and adolescents.Trial RegistrationThis study was registered as a systematic review in PROSPERO.
Phonon Scattering Effect on Self-heating in GAAFET Transistor Using the DPL heat conduction model
Authors: belkhiria maissa , Alyousef Haifa , Echouchene Fraj , Aouaini fatma
Published: April 2022

A numerical study of the phonon scattering effect in Gate All Around Field Effect Transistor (GAAFET) is performed in this work. The self-heating is modeled based on the Dual-Phase Lag (DPL) heat conduction equation. Poisson and drift-diffusion equations for electron and hole coupled with DPL model have been investigated based on the finite element method. Numerical solutions are obtained using the technique of nonlinear Newton–Raphson iteration. The impact of dependent-temperature (TD) parameters such as thermal conductivity, heat flux phase lag, and volumetric heat capacity on temperature distribution is taken into consideration. Further, a temperature jump boundary condition is used at semiconductor-oxide interface to take into account the phonon scattering phenomenon. Obtained results show a decrease in temporal and spatial temperature distribution in the case of using (TD) parameters compared with the constant (CST). Also, the addition of jump boundary condition causes a reduction on the maximum temperature and heat flux. Thus, the DPL model with proposed TD parameters, including jump temperature boundary condition, is recommended for the investigation of the self-heating effect, which can provide some improvement for the development GAAFET with good reliability in the device.
Organic Materials with High C/N Ratio: More Beneficial to Soil Improvement and Soil Health
Authors: Li Jiayi , Ren Tianbao , Li Yasen , Chen Nan , Yin Quanyu , Li Maosen , Liu Haobao , Liu Guoshun
Published: April 2022

In order to figure out the effect of organic fertilizers with different carbon-nitrogen (C/N) ratios on the soil improvement and the healthy cultivation, the pot experiment method was used to study effects on the physical and chemical properties and the bacterial community structure of sandy loam soil using five treatments of chemical fertilizer application with the C/N ratios of 15 (CN15), 20 (CN20), 25 (CN25), 30 (CN30) and the control (CK) respectively. Results show that the organic materials with different C/N ratios significantly improve the soil porosity and water content, which all show a linear change rule with the C/N ratio. It can also significantly increase the soil total carbon, total nitrogen, soil C/N ratio, soil microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen and microbial biomass C/N ratio. Among them, CN30 significantly increases the soil total carbon and C/N ratio, which are 5.34%-24.13% and 8.87%-30.15% respectively compared with other treatments. It can be also found that the dominant flora (at the phylum level) of each treatment are Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Chlorobi. The CN30 treatment presents the most obvious improvement in the diversity and richness of the soil bacterial community and is more conducive to the growth and reproduction of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. The correlation analysis shows that Ctotal/Ntotal and Cmic/Nmic are the most important environmental factors affecting the soil physical and chemical properties and their correlation with the bacterial communities. The higher C/N ratio of organic materials results in a more significant improvement of the soil physical and chemical properties. This study provides a new theoretical basis for the soil health cultivation technology.
Clinical characteristics and drug utilisation patterns in patients with chronic cough: a retrospective cohort study using a Japanese claims database
Authors: Arai Yoko , Okuyama Kotoba , Onishi Yoshie , Schelfhout Jonathan , Tokita Shigeru , Kubo Takekazu
Published: April 2022

Background: Although unmet medical needs for better care of patients with chronic cough exist in Japan, epidemiological information about these patients and their treatments is very limited.Objectives: To describe patient characteristics, underlying cough-related diseases and drug utilisation patterns in patients with chronic cough, and their changes over time.Methods: This large retrospective claims database study enrolled subjects with chronic cough, identified either by a specific diagnostic cough code for chronic cough (Population 1) or by multiple cough-related diagnostic codes spanning >8 weeks (Population 2). Within Population 2, patients with each of the three most frequent diagnostic cough codes were analysed as subgroups. Patient characteristics, underlying cough-related diseases and utilisation patterns for drugs used for cough were documented at the index date, during the 6-month pre-index period and during the 12-month post-index period. Results: 6,038 subjects were enrolled in the cohort (Population 1: N=3,500; Population 2: N=2,538). The mean age was 43.7±12.2 years and 61.8% were women. The largest cough diagnosis subgroups in Population 2 were ‘other coughs’ (N=1,444), ‘cough-variant asthma’ (N=1,026) and ‘atopic/allergic cough’ (N=105). At the index date, the most frequent underlying cough-related diseases were allergic rhinitis/nasal inflammation (N=3,132; 51.9%), asthma (N=2,517; 41.7%) and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (N=829; 13.7%). At the index date, 4,860 participants (80.5%) were prescribed at least one cough-related treatment. 194 participants (4.0% of medication users) were prescribed central antitussives alone, principally in Population 1, and 2,331 (48.0%) were prescribed expectorants. Other frequently prescribed medications were antiallergic drugs (N=2,588; 53.3%), antimicrobials (N=1,627; 34.4%) and inhaled corticosteroids with long-acting beta-agonists (N=1,404; 28.9%). Over time, cough diagnoses tended to be lost, with only 470 participants in Population 1 retaining a diagnostic code for chronic cough one year later. The frequency of underlying cough-related diseases was stable over time.Conclusions: Patients in this cohort with chronic cough are most frequently identified by a diagnostic cough code for chronic cough, followed by codes for other coughs, cough-variant asthma and atopic cough. Chronic cough frequently presents with an underlying cough-related disease, most frequently allergic rhinitis/nasal inflammation, asthma or GERD. Medication prescription for the underlying cough-related diseases was generally appropriate.
Safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with cancer: a single center retrospective analysis
Authors: Nuzzo Amedeo , Manacorda Simona , Sammarco Enrico , Sbrana Andrea , Bazzurri Serena , Paolieri Federico , Manfredi Fiorella , Mercinelli Chiara , Ferrari Marco , Massaro Giulia , Bonato Adele , Salfi Alessia , Galli Luca , Morganti Riccardo , Antonuzzo Andrea , Cremolini Chiara , Masi Gianluca
Published: April 2022

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 disease (COVID-19) has caused a worldwide challenging and threatening pandemic. Multinational, placebo-controlled, observer-blinded trials were conducted since the beginning of pandemic because safe and effective vaccines were needed urgently. In most trials of COVID-19 vaccines patients (pts) affected by malignancies or on treatment with immunosuppressive drugs were excluded. Patients and methods: At our Centre a retrospective study was conducted in this subset of population to investigate safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines; 377 pts with solid tumor on treatment were enrolled. Vaccine-related adverse events were recorded using a face-to-face questionnaire including a toxicity grading scale. Most of the pts (93.5%) has got mRNA vaccine as indicated by Italian health ministry guidelines. Mean age was 66 years (range 27-87), 62.3% of the pts was older than 65 years and 68.4% had at least one additional comorbidity. The majority (86.2%) of pts was at metastatic stage and 29.4% received immunotherapy-based treatment. For statistical analysis multivariate binary logistic regression models were performed and linear regression models were applied, using SPSS technology v.27.Results: Incidence of adverse events was higher after the second dose than after the first one (72.6% vs 67.4%). Adverse events were mild and transient, ended in a few days without any sequelae. No severe or uncommon side effects were recorded. In multivariate analysis we found that female gender was associated with a greater risk of more severe and longer lasting adverse events, and a higher risk of adverse events was found for pts treated with immunotherapy. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that COVID-19 vaccines were safe and well-tolerated in our population.
Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii and Chlamydia abortus infection in domestic small ruminants in Cameroon
Authors: Nankam Roland Chimi , KOUAMO Justin , Kouengoua Armelle Prudence Kouengoua , TCHINZE Grace Jedida TOUKEM , DZOUSSE Müller FOTSAC , GAPGUEU Sandra Vanessa , NOUMEDEM Ranyl NGUENA GUEFACK , NGOULA Ferdinand
Published: April 2022

Toxoplasmosis and abortive chlamydia continues to spread and cause considerable economic losses in small ruminant farms. The objectives of this study were to determine the seroprevalence and highlight the risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii and Chlamydia abortus infection in small ruminants in Cameroon. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 200 small ruminant farms during a period from April to October 2021. A total of 1061 small ruminants were sampled and the sera obtained were analysed using the indirect multi-species ELISA test for toxoplasmosis and abortive chlamydia at the national veterinary laboratory. A questionnaire was constructed to collect information about ﬂock management and animal risk factors possibly associated with Toxoplasma gondii and Chlamydia abortus infection in goats and sheep. Overall, 329 small ruminants tested positive for Toxoplasma gondii and 45 for Chlamydia abortus with a prevalence of 31.01% (95% CI: 28.23 - 33.79) for toxoplasmosis and 4.24% (95% CI: 3.03 - 5.45) for chlamydia abortus, respectively. However, a significant co-infection of 1.82% (95% CI: 0.37 - 3.27) was obtained between Toxoplasma gondii and Chlamydia abortus (p=0.02). Univariate analysis showed that region (p=0.0001), species (p=0.0001), sex (p=0.0002), age (p=0.0002) and breed (p=0.01) were the risk factors associated with the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in small ruminant farms in Cameroon; while breed (p=0.0001) and the presence of abortion (p=0.0003) were identified as risk factors strongly associated with the seroprevalence of Chlamydia abortus . These results could be used to implement efﬁcient management measures to prevent and control Toxoplasma gondii and Chlamydia abortus infection in goats and sheep in Cameroon.
Development of ZnO-PVA based Polymer Composite Films by Solution Casting Approach for Performance Maximization of Organic Solar Cells
Authors: M. Fazal Ur Rehman , Qayyum Iqra , Raza Aoun , Zahra Manzar , Zada Zeeshan
Published: April 2022

Organic Solar Cells (OSCs) are becoming incredibly popular in photovoltaics because to their solution tunability, flexibility, low temperature development, environmental friendliness and ease of integration. Despite these benefits, the energy conversion efficiency of OSCs is lowest than that of other cells based on solar energy. As a result, the emphasis will unavoidably be on boosting the efficiency of OSCs. With this concept, we created and incorporated a ZnO-PVA nanocomposite (NCs) film to see whether we could improve its efficiency. ZnO nanoparticles with several different concentrations in a PVA matrix were used to prepare the NCs films following the Solution Casting Approach. Each sample of all NCs films was analyzed using OSCs. The efficiency of OSCs differs significantly before and after application of prepared NCs coating. When applied on OSCs with structure [Carbon Fiber)/(CuO/Epoxy Resin)/( ZnO/Epoxy Resin)/Carbon Fiber], the film with an ideal Wt.% of ZnO; 14.50 percent and PVA; 85.50 percent, exhibits a substantial increase in performance efficiency.
Assessment water balance through different sources of precipitation and actual evapotranspiration
Authors: Neto Arthur Kolling , Ribeiro Rayssa Balieiro , Pruski Fernando Falco
Published: April 2022

Understanding the processes related to the water circulation in the watershed is essential for the development of hydrological studies, estimates of water availability and improvements in the management and planning of water resources. In this regard, the objective of this work was to evaluate the water balance (WB) behavior, resulting from the combination of precipitation (PPT) and actual evapotranspiration (ETR) from different methodologies, concerning the representativeness of the physical and climatic conditions of the watershed. For this purpose, four sources of precipitation data (IMERG, TMPA, TerraClimate and IDW interpolation of the data from rain gauge stations) and four from actual evapotranspiration (MOD16, GLEAM, MOD16rsp and TerraClimate) were considered to estimate the water balance in the Paraguaçu river watershed. The precipitation products were analyzed by means of statistical and physical analysis and the ETR products were evaluated according to the spatial distribution and magnitude of the values ​​along the watershed. Finally, the assessment of the water balance was carried out considering the representativeness along the watershed. The results indicated that the variables (PPTTC and ETRTC), obtained from the TerraClimate database, showed better sensitivity to variations in the spatial distribution of each region, characterizing the orographic effect and the semi-arid climate, leading to the best performances and the best combination for the water balance (WBTC_TC). Therefore, WBTC_TC was the most representative variable of water circulation conditions in the watershed.
Performance Improvement of AWGN Filters by INLP Technique
Authors: fatnassi soumaya , YAHIA MOHAMED , ALI TARIG , MORTULA MARUF , ABDELFATTAH RIADH
Published: April 2022

In this paper, an extensive research on grayscale images applying spatial domain filtering technique to remove additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) has been developed. However, the existing average based filters have a main limitation which is the exploitation of the statistics of the original noisy image only. Nevertheless, in the infinite number of looks prediction (INLP) technique, in addition to the statistics of the original image, the statistics of the filtered images are also used to elevate the filtering performance. A linear regression between the filtered pixels and their variances for various window sizes has been achieved. The aim of this work is to extent the INLP filter, which is originally used with multiplicative noise, to AWGN image filtering. A theoretical effort has been conducted to derive a linear rule between the filtered pixels and their variances of AWGN digital images. Then, a linear regression has been applied to compute the INLP filtering pixels. Experiments carried out on gray-level images show the potentiality of the approach compared to other established algorithms, in terms both of noise reduction and spatial detail preservation.
LCK and its related molecules as potential biomarkers in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Chen Xuemeng , Xie Li , Jiang Yi , Zhang Ronghua , Wu Wei
Published: April 2022

Background
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of systemic immune disease characterized by chronic inflammatory disease of the joints. However, the etiology and underlying molecular events of RA are unclear. Here, we applied bioinformatics analysis to identify the potential biomarkers involved in RA.
Methods
The three microarray datasets (GSE1919、GSE10500 and GSE55457) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We used the R software screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). These DEGs shared by the three microarray datasets were further identified. Next, we carried out functional enrichment analysis using the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Then, the hub genes with a relatively high number of connections to other DEGs, were identified by Cytoscape. Other bioinformatics methods are also performed, including protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and construction of miRNA–hub gene networks and transcription factors (TF)–hub gene networks.
Results
A total of 115 overlapping DEGs were identified in this study. Subsequently, we constructed a PPI network encoded by these DEGs and identified 10 genes closely associated with RA – LCK, GZMA, GZMB, CD2, LAG3, IL-15, TNFRSF4, CD247, CCR5, and CCR7. Furthermore, in the miRNA–hub gene networks, we screened out has-miR-146a-5p, which is the miRNA controlling the largest number of hub genes. Finally, we found some transcription factors that closely interact with hub genes, such as FOXC1, GATA2, YY1, RUNX2, SREBF1, CEBPB, and NFIC.
Conclusions
In summary, bioinformatics analyses were used to identify DEGs to find potential biomarkers that may be associated with RA. This study successfully predicted that LCK, FOXC1 and has-mir-146a-5p can be used as potential biomarkers of RA. Our study may have potential implications for future prediction of disease progression in symptomatic RA patients, and has important significance for the pathogenesis and targeted therapy of RA.
The effect of intravenous iron supplementation on exercise capacity in iron-deficient but not anaemic patients with chronic kidney disease: study design and baseline data for a multicentre prospective double-blind randomised controlled trial
Authors: Greenwood Sharlene A , Beckley-Hoelscher Nicholas , Asgari Elham , Ayis Salma , Baker Luke A , Banerjee Debasish , Bhandari Sunil , Bramham Kate , Chilcot Joseph , Burton James , Kalra Philip A , Lightfoot Courtney J , McCafferty Kieran , Mercer Thomas H , Okonko Darlington O , Oliveira Benjamin , Reid Chante , Smith Alice C , Swift Pauline , Mangelis Anastasios , Watson Emma , Wheeler David C , Wilkinson Thomas J , Reid Fiona , Macdougall Iain C
Published: April 2022

Background: Many people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are iron deficient, even though they may not be anaemic. The Iron and Muscle study aims to evaluate whether iron supplementation reduces symptoms of fatigue, improves muscle metabolism, and leads to enhanced exercise capacity and physical function. We report here the trial design and baseline characteristics. Methods: This is a prospective, double-blind multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) including 75 non-dialysis CKD patients with iron deficiency but without anaemia. Patients were randomly (1:1) assigned to either: i) intravenous iron therapy, or ii) placebo, with concurrent recruitment of eight CKD non-iron deficient participants and six healthy volunteers. The primary outcome of the study is the six-minute walk test (6MWT) distance between baseline and four-weeks. An additional exercise training programme for patients in both groups was initiated and completed between 4 and 12 weeks, to determine the effect of iron repletion compared to placebo treatment in the context of patients undertaking an exercise programme. Additional secondary outcomes include fatigue, physical function, muscle strength, muscle metabolism, quality of life, resting blood pressure, clinical chemistry, safety and harms associated with the iron therapy intervention and the exercise training intervention, and hospitalisations. All outcomes were conducted at baseline, 4, and 12 weeks, with a nested qualitative study, to investigate the experience of living with iron deficiency and intervention acceptability. The cohort have been recruited and baseline assessments undertaken. Results: 75 individuals were recruited. 44% of the randomised cohort were male, the mean (SD) age was 58 (14) years, and 56% were White. Body mass index was 31 (7) kg/m2; serum ferritin was 59 (45) μg/L, transferrin saturation was 22 (10) %, and haemoglobin was 125 (12) g/L at randomisation for the whole group. Estimated glomerular filtration rate was 35 (12) mL/min/1.73 m2 and the 6MWT distance was 429 (174) m. Conclusion: The results from this study will address a substantial knowledge gap in the effects of intravenous iron therapy on exercise capacity, physical function, fatigue, and muscle metabolism, for non-dialysis patients with CKD who are iron-deficient but not anaemic. Trial Registration: EudraCT: 2018-000144-25 Registered 28/01/2019.
Examining the Unique Associations of Hedonic Hunger and 12- and 24-Month Weight Loss Outcomes
Authors: Crane Nicole T. , Butryn Meghan L. , Gorin Amy A. , Lowe Michael R. , Schulte Erica M.
Published: April 2022

Purpose: Improvements in hedonic hunger (HH; reward-driven eating outside of biological need) during behavioral weight loss (BWL) treatments relate to greater weight loss. However, it is unknown how HH is associated with BWL outcomes when accounting for the effects of theoretically similar constructs, including uncontrolled eating and food craving, and relevant contextual factors, like exposure to the obesogenic food environment. Methods: Adults (N = 283) in a 12-month BWL program were weighed at baseline, post-treatment (12 months) and follow-up (24 months), and completed questionnaires assessing HH, food craving, uncontrolled eating, and their home food environment (HFE). Results: HH, uncontrolled eating, craving, and the obesogenic HFE improved during BWL and reductions were maintained at 24 months. Decreases in HH from baseline to post-treatment were associated with higher concurrent weight loss, but not when accounting for concurrent improvements in cravings and uncontrolled eating. At 24 months, decreases in cravings accounted for more variability in weight loss than changes in HH, but improvement in HH was a stronger predictor of 24-month weight loss than decreases in uncontrolled eating. Changes to the obesogenic HFE failed to predict weight loss, regardless of baseline levels of HH.Conclusion: This study adds novel information on which individual and environmental factors are most strongly associated with short- versus long-term weight control, which can impact intervention development. Improvements to the obesogenic HFE may be less important than previously conceived, as BWL participants (with varying levels of HH) were able to achieve weight loss regardless of changes to the HFE.Level of Evidence: Level II: Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization
Transarterial chemoembolization versus liver resection as first-line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma occurring exclusively in caudate lobe: A retrospective propensity matching analysis
Authors: Yang Biao , Yuan MinLan , Chen MinYang , Zhang Yuzu , Yang Ting , Gao Yuemei , Liao ZhengYin , Wu Hao
Published: April 2022

Background
Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the caudate lobe is technically challenging. This retrospective study aims to evaluate the clinical outcome of both super selective transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and liver resection (LR) for HCC occurring in the caudate lobe.
Methods
From January 2008 to September 2021, a total of 129 patients were diagnosed with HCC exclusively located in the caudate lobe. We used the Cox proportional hazard model to analyze the potential clinical factors and established prognostic nomograms with interval validation.
Results
78 patients received TACE, and 51 patients received LR. The overall survival (OS) rates (TACE vs. LR) at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years were 83.9% vs. 71.0%, 74.2% vs. 61.3%, 58.1% vs. 48.4%, 45.2% vs. 45.2%, and 32.3% vs. 25.0%, respectively. However, the subgroup analysis revealed that TACE is superior to LR for treating patients with BCLC-B stage in the entire cohort (P = 0.002). Interestingly, we found no difference in BCLC-A stage HCC between TACE and LR (P = 0.6). Based on Child-Pugh A and B, TACE tends to have better OS than LR (P = 0.081) and (P = 0.16), respectively. The multivariate analysis showed Child-Pugh score, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage, ascites, alpha fetoprotein (AFP), the largest tumor size, and anti-HsCV is related to OS. Predictive nomograms for 1-, 2-, 3- years were performed.
Conclusion
Based on this study, TACE may be better for HCC in the caudal lobe than liver resection, considering a longer overall survival time.
DFT-based ab initio study of the electronic and vibrational properties of the crystal structure of orthorhombic dansyl chloride
Authors: Venâncio José Robson da Costa , Frazão Nilton Ferreira
Published: April 2022

The use of markers of organic compounds by dansyl chloride (DNS-Cl) through fluorescence can be widely used in areas such as pharmacology, toxicology, organic synthesis, and biochemistry. The theoretical computational study of the molecular structure of DNS-Cl in crystalline form is not reported in the literature. In this work, we calculate the structural, electronic, optical, and vibrational properties. Using density functional theory, we consider general gradient approximation with dispersion correction (GGA+TS) and local density approximation (LDA-CAPZ). We hope that this work will be of great importance for the theoretical study of the crystal structure of DNS-Cl and serve as a database for future studies.
Identification of potential biomarkers for endometrial carcinoma based on WGCNA
Authors: Wang Lei , Ma Ying , Liu Zhe , Zhang Yu , Liu Xudong , Wang Yafan , Zhao Lijun , Fan Jinke , Peng Tao , Li Rui , Chen Yuxuan , Song Xinqiang
Published: April 2022

Background
Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is a group of malignant epithelial tumors occurring in the endometrium. With the increasing incidence of recent years, identifying the molecular mechanisms associated with endometrial carcinoma has become particularly important for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Methods
RNA-seq data and clinical information of patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. In addition, functional enrichment analysis, differential expressed gene (DEG) analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were conducted. Next, hub genes associated with cancer progression were obtained by screening the module genes of interest, validated by survival analysis by GEPIA (p < 0.05). Finally, mutational analysis and immunohistochemistry validation were performed on the hub genes.
Results
We identified 3,308 genes with significant variants and screened them. And they were mainly associated with reproductive structure development, positive regulation of cytosolic calcium ion concentration, and cell − cell adhesion via plasma − membrane adhesion molecules. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified six modules. By constructing a co-expression network, the turquoise module was found to be the most important module in predicting tumors. Apart from that, the turquoise module was negatively associated with cancer and was strongly correlated with patient weight, age, degree of tumor invasion and pregnancy status. Next, Survival analysis showed that NCMAP, ACTG2, TRPC1, RBMS3 are highly correlated with cancer progression. Finally, mutation analysis and IHC experiments further confirmed that TRPC1 plays a vital role in the occurrence and development of EC.
Conclusion
In summary, our research indicates that NCMAP, ACTG2, TRPC1, RBMS3 may play a central role in diagnosing and treating of endometrial carcinoma. TRPC1 may be a novel biomarker of the disease. These hub genes may provide a theoretical basis for targeted therapy against EC.
Ornithine decarboxylase antizyme 2 (OAZ2) in human colon adenocarcinoma: a potent prognostic factor associated with immunity
Authors: Zhang Shengjie , Ma Xinyu , Qu Lishuai , Zhou Guoxiong , Zhu Bingye , cao wei
Published: April 2022

BackgroundsTill now, few researches have been focused on the role OAZ2 gene played in colorectal cancer about prognostic and immunologic. In this article, we are aiming to explore more specific role and mechanism of OAZ2 in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD).MethodsThe expression level of OAZ2 and related clinical data were all downloaded from online database The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Uni- and multivariate Cox hazard regression analyses were performed to identify potent prognostic indicators. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and nomogram model was utilized to find interrelated signaling pathways and evaluate prognostic value separately. Associations between OAZ2 and immunity were also figured out in this research.ResultsOAZ2 gene has been detected low expression levels between normal and tumor tissues across multitudinous tumors. Box-plot analysis revealed that OAZ2 had low expression level in COAD patient-tissues (P < 0.05). Uni- and multivariate Cox regression analysis were utilized to conform that OAZ2 could work as a prognostic indicator independently (P < 0.05). GSEA was applied to find two OAZ2-related signaling pathways including cardiac muscle contraction and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. Besides, a model of nomogram was set up successfully by us for prediction of survival rates of COAD patients. Finally, through analyzation about PPI and immunity, we found that 10 OAZ2-related genes and OAZ2 expression level was closely connected with immunity such as tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI) as well as tumor immune infiltration, tumor microenvironment, immune check-point molecules and immune cells pathway.ConclusionsOAZ2 was proved to be a useful indicator in COAD patients for prognosis closely-related to OS. We found OAZ2 had strong connections with immunity. Further study about the role of OAZ2 in prognosis in vivo and in vitro need to be carried out in our follow-up research.
Handling Delayed or Missed Dose of Antiepileptic Drugs: A Model-Informed Individual Remedial Dosing
Authors: Li Zi-ran , Wang Chen-yu , Lin Wei-wei , Chen Yue-ting , Liu Xiao-qin , Jiao Zheng
Published: April 2022

Background and Objectives:
Antiepileptic drugs are the major treatment modality for patients with epilepsy. Delayed or missed doses are common during long-term or lifelong anti-epilepsy treatment. This study aims to explore optimal individualized remedial dosing regimens for delayed or missed doses of nine commonly used antiepileptic drugs.
Methods
Monte Carlo simulation based on previously published population pharmacokinetic models was employed to explore remedial regimens of carbamazepine, clobazam, eslicarbazepine acetate, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, phenobarbital, topiramate, and valproic acid. Six remedial strategies for delayed or missed doses were investigated. The deviation time outside the individual therapeutic range was used to evaluate each remedial regimen. The influences of patients’ demographics, concomitant medication, and scheduled dosing intervals on remedial regimens were assessed. RxODE and Shiny in R were employed to perform Monte Carlo simulation and recommend individual remedial regimens.
Results
The recommended remedial regimens were highly correlated to delayed time, scheduled dosing interval, and half-life of the antiepileptic drug. Moreover, the recommended remedial regimens for pediatric and adult patients were different. The renal function, along with concomitant medication that affect the clearance of the antiepileptic drug, may also influence the remedial regimens. A web-based dashboard was developed to provide optimal individualized remedial regimens for nonadherent patients, and a user-defined module with all parameters that could be defined flexibly by the user was built.
Discussion
Monte Carlo simulation based on population pharmacokinetic models may provide a rational approach to propose remedial regimens for delayed or missed doses of antiepileptic drugs.
FitDepth: Fast and lite 16bits depth image compression algorithm
Authors: DAmato Juan Pablo
Published: April 2022

This article presents a fast parallel lossless technique and a lossy image compression technique for 16-bit single-channel images. Nowadays, such techniques are “a must” in robotics and other areas where several depth cameras are used. Since many of these algorithms need to be run in lowprofile hardware, the should be very fast and customizable. As depth images represent surfaces, the idea is to split the image into a set of polynomial functions that each describes a part of the surface. The algorithm herein proposed can achieve similar —or better— compression rate and specially high speed rates than existing techniques. It has the potential of being fully parallelizable and running on many cores. This feature makes it specially useful for handling and streaming multiple cameras. The algorithm is assessed in different situations and hardware. Its implementation is rather simple and is carried out with LIDAR captured images. Therefore, this work is accompanied by an open implementation in C++.
Rapid Detection of Goat Milk Mixed with Bovine Milk and Infant Goat Milk Formulas Mixed with Bovine Whey Powder by NIRS Fingerprints
Authors: HE Yongji , ZENG Wanjun , ZHAO Yuxuan , ZHU Xinpeng , WAN Hongchang , ZHANG Meng , LI Zhicheng
Published: April 2022

The fingerprints of goat milk and infant goat milk formulas were established based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). In addition, the fingerprint-based principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify infant goat milk formulas at different stages, whether goat milk was mixed with bovine milk, and whether goat milk formulas were mixed with desalted bovine whey powder. The results showed that there were six and nine characteristics of common maximum absorption intensity in goat milk and infant goat milk formulas, respectively. Among them, the NIR wavenumbers corresponding to the characteristic maximum absorption intensity of goat milk are: 10270.95, 8612.31, 8334.77, 6914.12, 5539.54, and 5202.52cm− 1, and the NIR wavenumbers corresponding to the characteristic maximum absorption intensity of infant goat milk formulas are: 8262.08, 6795.08, 6352.36, 5790.64, 5684.91, 5162.87, 4753.17, 4368.86, 4257.56 cm− 1. The method of combining NIRS and PCA was used to identify Stage 1, 2, and 3 of infant goat milk formulas. The use of the method combining NIRS and PCA enabled the discrimination of Stage 1, 2, and 3 of infant goat milk formulas. It was able to effectively identify adulterated desalted bovine whey powder from desalted goat whey powder and adulterated bovine milk from goat milk. The results suggested that different stages of infant goat milk formulas and goat milk and its infant formulas adulteration could be differentiated by NIRS combined with PCA, which provided convincing evidence for the identification and brand protection of goat milk and infant goat milk formulas.
Boron deficiency-induced changes in the subcellular composition and anatomical structure of petiole rings hinder nutrient transport in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)
Authors: Li Mingfeng , Zhang wei , Zhao zhuqing , Liu Xinwei
Published: April 2022

Background and aims The purpose of this study was to examine the developmental defects of cell walls and vessels at the ring sites of cotton petioles and thereby understand the effects of petiole rings on nutrient transport in cotton. Methods Boric acid was applied as basal fertilizer in boron-deficient cotton field to verify the relationship between boron concentration and ring formation on cotton petioles. Petiole samples were taken from boron-deficient cotton plants to analyze the differences in cell wall properties and anatomical structure between the ring and non-ring sites. Results Under boron deficiency stress, chloroplasts were deformed and slightly disintegrated at the ring sites of the petioles. The cell walls within the rings were irregularly thickened by 44.1%, while their mechanical strength was markedly reduced by 38.9% compared to those of the non-ring sites. There were also changes in the hydrogen bonding within carbohydrates and proteins and the structure of pectins along with cellulose accumulation in the cell walls at the ring sites. A large number of tiny vessels were formed in the petiole rings, resulting in the squeezing and rupture of vessels. Boron, magnesium, and manganese concentrations in various parts of the petioles varied substantially in the order of lower part > middle part > upper part. Conclusions Boron application reduces the probability of ring formation on the petioles of cotton. The cell walls and vessels are destructed at the ring sites of the petioles, which impairs their mechanical support and mineral nutrient transport functions in boron-deficient cotton.
Comparison of physicochemical properties of different millet starch varieties
Authors: xu shu , Han Li-Quan , Cao Jing-Jing , Zhang Li , Wang Ya-Li , Zhang meiping
Published: April 2022

The main objective of the present study was to determine the physicochemical properties of starches from different cereal cultivars. In this study, 21 different cereal Cultivars were selected to investigate the starch granule morphology and the physicochemical characteristics such as starch content, solubility, swelling, transparency, and thermal characteristic. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the morphology of starch granules among the different cereal cultivars. The amylose, amylopectin, and total starch contents of the 21 portions of cereal ranged from 7.49% to 15.89%, 57.11% to 72.63%, and 67.44% to 81.77%, respectively. The ratio of amylose and amylopectin contents ranged from 11.82% to 25.24%. P1-8 had the highest solubility, XG2 had the highest swelling, and YG had the lowest solubility and swelling. The starting, peak, and termination temperatures were higher for QM gelatinization, whereas the temperature and enthalpy of phase change required for gelatinization of CN0302 were lower. Highlighting the differences in the physicochemical properties of starch from different cereal cultivars should help point toward effective applications of cereal starch in the food industry.
A novel scheme of optical readout based on thermo-optical cavity coupled plasmonic scattering for infrared detection
Authors: Lai Jianjun , Zhang Xunong , Lu Bingyu , Chen Changhong , Huang Lirong , Zhong Sicheng , Wang Chaoming
Published: April 2022

A novel scheme of optical readout based on thermo-optic cavity coupled plasmonic scattering for infrared imaging sensor is proposed to lessen the complex and bulky of existed systems using reflective or diffractive optical readout schemes. This new scheme readouts thermally-modulated back-scattering visible light signals of metallic nanostructures under large angle dark field illumination. Numerical simulation is employed to reveal the mechanisms of large temperature sensitivity and low angular sensitivity of scattering,which is attributed to the thermal-optic effects of Fabry-Perot (F-P) microcavity coupled with local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) generated from metallic nanostructures. The feasibility of the proposed scheme is demonstrated by preliminary experiments and optical measurements. Thermal-optic modulated scattering spectra have been obtained for 3.39 μm infrared illumination and a temperature sensitivity of 0.24 nm/°C for 605~640 nm band has been reached.
Mendelian Susceptibility to Mycobacterial Disease: Retrospective Clinical and Genetic Study in Mexico
Authors: VICUÑA ANA KAREN PEÑAFIEL , Yamazaki-Nakashimada MARCO , León-Lara Ximena , FLORES ELIZABETH MENDIETA , NUÑEZ MARÍA ENRIQUETA NUÑEZ , LONA-REYES JUAN CARLOS , NIETO LETICIA HERNADEZ , VÀZQUEZ MARÍA GUADALUPE RAMÍREZ , SANTOS JOEL BARROSO , IÑIGUEZ ALVARO LÓPEZ , GONZÁLEZ YOLANDA , TORRES MARTHA , FERNANDEZ JOSÉ LUIS LEZANA , Román-Montes CARLA M , MEDINA-TORRES EDGAR ALEJANDRO , SERRANO EDITH GONZÁLEZ , OGANDO JUAN CARLOS BUSTAMANTE , REYES SAUL LUGO , MARTÍNEZ OSCAR ZAVALETA , BOONE AIDÉ TAMARA SATINES , MONTOYA EDNA VENEGAS , GOMEZ NANCY EVELYN AGUILAR , SOUDEÉ CAMILLE , JOUANGUY EMMANUELLE , PUEL ANNE , Boisson-Dupuis Stéphanie , SÁNCHEZ SIFREDO PEDRAZA , CASANOVA JEAN LAURENT , ROSALES FRANCISCO ESPINOSA , Padilla SARA Espinosa- , Bustamante Jacinta , Blancas-Galicia Lizbeth
Published: April 2022

BACKGROUND. Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD) is a rare genetic disorder with impaired immunity against intracellular pathogens, such as mycobacteria, attenuated Mycobacterium bovis-Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine strains, and environmental mycobacteria, in otherwise healthy individuals. In Mexico, the estimated incidence of tuberculosis in 2019 was 23 cases/100,000 people. BCG vaccination is mandatory in Mexico. PURPOSE. To review the clinical, immunological, and genetic characteristics of MSMD patients followed in ten hospitals across Mexico. METHODS. This retrospective study describes the clinical, immunological, and genetic characteristics of patients in Mexico diagnosed with MSMD from 2006 to 2021. RESULTS. Twenty-two patients from 17 kindreds were diagnosed with MSMD. Fourteen were male (64%) and eight were female. After BCG vaccination, 12 patients (70%) developed BCG infections. Six (22%) developed infections caused by Salmonella, and 11 (50%) developed infections caused by fungi, particularly Histoplasma. Thirteen different pathogenic variants were identified in IL12RB1 (n = 13), IFNGR1 (n = 3), and IFNGR2 (n = 1). Seven of the 22 patients died; the main cause was disseminated BCG infection. CONCLUSION. Interleukin-12Rβ1 deficiency was the main cause of MSMD in the Mexican cohort. The main etiologic agent responsible for morbidity and mortality was BCG.