bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing forces during spinal manipulation and mobilization: factors influencing the difference between forces at the patient-table and clinician-patient interfaces
Authors: Mikhail Jérémie , Funabashi Martha , Descarreaux Martin , Pagé Isabelle
Published: November 2020

Background

Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) and mobilization (MOB) effects are believed to be related to their force characteristics. Most previous studies have either measured the force at the patient-table interface or at the clinician-patient interface. The objectives of this study were to determine 1) the difference between the force measured at the patient-table interface and the force applied at the clinician-patient interface during thoracic SMT and MOB, and 2) the influence of the SMT/MOB characteristics, participants’ anthropometry and muscle activity (sEMG) on this difference.

Methods

An apparatus using a servo-linear motor executed 8 SMT/MOB at the T7 vertebrae in 34 healthy adults between May and June 2019. SMT and MOB were characterized by a 20 N preload, total peak forces of 100 N or 200 N, and thrust durations of 100 ms, 250 ms, 1 s or 2 s. During each trial, thoracic sEMG, apparatus displacement as well as forces at the patient-table interface and the clinician-patient interface were recorded. The difference between the force at both interfaces was calculated. The effect of SMT/MOB characteristics on the difference between forces at both interfaces and correlations between this difference and potential influencing factors were evaluated.

Results

Force magnitudes at the patient-table interface were, in most trials, greater than the force at the clinician-patient interface (up to 135 N). SMT/MOB characteristics (total peak force, thrust duration and rate of force application) affected the difference between forces at both interfaces (allp-values< 0.05). No factor showed significant correlations with the difference between forces at both interfaces for the 8 SMT/MOB.

Conclusions

The results revealed that the force measured at the patient-table interface is greater than the applied force at the clinician-patient interface during thoracic SMT and MOB. By which mechanism the force is amplified is not yet fully understood.
Perceptions and experiences of nurse managers of the implementation of the baby and mother friendly initiative in Namibia: a qualitative study
Authors: Amadhila Justina N. , Van Rensburg Gisela H.
Published: November 2020

Background

The baby and mother friendly initiative is a breastfeeding programme in Namibia aimed to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to describe nurse managers’ perceptions and experiences of implementing the baby and mother friendly initiative in order to identify its successes and failures, as well as to develop guidelines for the strengthening of the programme.

Methods

An evaluation research design to collect qualitative data through face-to-face interviews was conducted. A total of 33 interviews with nurse managers in charge of the baby and mother friendly hospitals, were conducted.

Results

This study gave insight into the strength and weaknesses in the implementation of the programme implementation and make recommendations for improvement thereof. Four themes emerged from the study, namely: the extent of programme implementation, perceived benefits of the programme, challenges/hindrance to the implementation of the programme and recommendations for strengthening of the programme. The information was used to develop and validate guidelines that would help to strengthen the implementation of the programme.

Conclusions

The study makes a contribution to the body of knowledge in nursing in that it provides guidelines for the strengthening of the baby and mother programme.
Predictors of the failure of conservative treatment in patients with a thoracolumbar burst fracture
Authors: Alimohammadi Ehsan , Bagheri Seyed Reza , Ahadi Paniz , Cheshmehkaboodi Sahar , Hadidi Homa , Maleki Shokofeh , Abdi Alireza
Published: November 2020

Background

There is a controversy about the management of patients with a thoracolumbar burst fracture. Despite the success of the conservative treatment in most of the cases, some patients failed the conservative treatment. The present study aimed to evaluate risk factors for the need for surgery during the follow-up period in these patients.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 67 patients with a traumatic thoracolumbar burst fracture who managed conservatively at our center between May 2014 and May 2019. Suggested variables as potential risk factors for the failure of conservative treatment including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking, diabetes, vertebral body compression rate (VBCR), percentage of anterior height compression (PAHC), Cobb angle, interpedicular distance (IPD), canal compromise, and pain intensity as visual analog scale (VAS) were compared between patients with successful conservative treatment and those with failure of non-operative management.

Results

There were 41 males (61.2%) and 26 females (38.8%) with the mean follow-up time of 15.52 ± 5.30 months. Overall, 51 patients (76.1%) successfully completed conservative treatment. However, 16 cases (23.9%) failed the non-operative management. According to the binary logistic regression analysis, only age (risk ratio [RR], 2.21; 95% confidence interval [95%], 1.78–2.64; P = 0.019) and IPD (RR 1.97; 95% CI 1.61–2.33; P = 0.005) were the independent risk factors for the failure of the non-operative management.

Conclusions

Our results showed that older patients and those with greater interpedicular distance are at a higher risk for failure of the conservative treatment. As a result, a closer follow-up should be considered for them.
Combined femoral and axillary perfusion strategy for Stanford type a aortic dissection repair
Authors: Huang Ling-chen , Xu Qi-chen , Chen Dao-zhong , Dai Xiao-fu , Chen Liang-wan
Published: November 2020

Background

The optimal cannulation strategy in surgery for Stanford type A aortic dissection is critical to patient survival but remains controversial. Different cannulation strategies have their own advantages and drawbacks during cardiopulmonary bypass. Our centre used a combined femoral and axillary perfusion strategy for the surgical treatment of type A aortic dissection. The purpose of this study was to review and clarify the clinical outcome of femoral artery cannulation combined with axillary artery cannulation for the treatment of Stanford type A aortic dissection.

Methods

We performed a retrospective study that included 327 patients who were surgically treated for type A aortic dissection in our institution from January 2017 to June 2019. Femoral and axillary artery cannulation was used to establish cardiopulmonary bypass in patients with type A aortic dissection. The demographic data, surgical data, and clinical results of the patients were calculated.

Results

Femoral artery combined with axillary artery cannulation was technically successful in 327 patients. The cardiopulmonary bypass time was 141.60 ± 34.89 min, and the selective antegrade cerebral perfusion time was 14.94 ± 2.76 min. The early mortality rate was 3.06%. The incidence of permanent neurologic dysfunction was 0.92%. Sixteen patients had postoperative renal insufficiency, and five patients had liver failure.

Conclusion

Femoral artery combined with axillary artery cannulation for type A aortic dissection can significantly improve the prognosis of patients, especially in terms of cerebral protection, and can reduce the occurrence of adverse malperfusion syndrome and neurological complications.
An automated workflow to screen alkene reductases using high-throughput thin layer chromatography
Authors: Garabedian Brett M. , Meadows Corey W. , Mingardon Florence , Guenther Joel M. , de Rond Tristan , Abourjeily Raya , Lee Taek Soon
Published: November 2020

Background

Synthetic biology efforts often require high-throughput screening tools for enzyme engineering campaigns. While innovations in chromatographic and mass spectrometry-based techniques provide relevant structural information associated with enzyme activity, these approaches can require cost-intensive instrumentation and technical expertise not broadly available. Moreover, complex workflows and analysis time can significantly impact throughput. To this end, we develop an automated, 96-well screening platform based on thin layer chromatography (TLC) and use it to monitor in vitro activity of a geranylgeranyl reductase isolated from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius (SaGGR).

Results

Unreduced SaGGR products are oxidized to their corresponding epoxide and applied to thin layer silica plates by acoustic printing. These derivatives are chromatographically separated based on the extent of epoxidation and are covalently ligated to a chromophore, allowing detection of enzyme variants with unique product distributions or enhanced reductase activity. Herein, we employ this workflow to examine farnesol reduction using a codon-saturation mutagenesis library at the Leu377 site of SaGGR. We show this TLC-based screen can distinguish between fourfold differences in enzyme activity for select mutants and validated those results by GC–MS.

Conclusions

With appropriate quantitation methods, this workflow can be used to screen polyprenyl reductase activity and can be readily adapted to analyze broader catalyst libraries whose products are amenable to TLC analysis.
Wolbachia in mosquitoes from the Central Valley of California, USA
Authors: Torres Ryan , Hernandez Eunis , Flores Valeria , Ramirez Jose Luis , Joyce Andrea L.
Published: November 2020

Background

Wolbachiabacteria are widely distributed throughout terrestrial arthropod species. These bacteria can manipulate reproduction and influence the vector competence of their hosts. Recently,Wolbachiahave been integrated into vector control programmes for mosquito management. A number of supergroups and strains exist forWolbachia, and they have yet to be characterized for many mosquito species. In this study, we examinedWolbachiaprevalence and their phylogenetic relationship to otherWolbachia, using mosquitoes collected in Merced County in the Central Valley of California.

Methods

Adult mosquitoes were collected from 85 sites in Merced County, California in 2017 and 2018. Traditional and quantitative PCR were used to investigate the presence or absence and the density ofWolbachia, usingWolbachia-specific16SrRNA andWolbachia-surface protein (wsp) genes. The supergroup ofWolbachiawas determined, and Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) by sequencing five housekeeping genes (coxA,gatB,ftsZ,hcpA andfbpA) was also used to determineWolbachiasupergroup as well as strain.

Results

Over 7100 mosquitoes of 12 species were collected:Aedesmelanimon,Ae.nigromaculis,Ae.vexans,Ae.aegypti,Culex pipiens,Cx.stigmatosoma,Cx.tarsalis,Anopheles franciscanus,An.freeborni,An.punctipennis,Culiseta incidensandCs.inornata. Eight showed evidence ofWolbachia. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report detection ofWolbachiain five of these species (Ae.melanimon,Cx.stigmatosoma,Cx.tarsalis,Cs.incidensandCs.inornata).Culex pipiensandCx.stigmatosomahad a high frequency and density ofWolbachiainfection, which grouped into supergroup B;Cs.inornataclustered with supergroup A. MLST comparisons identifiedCx.pipiensandCx.stigmatosomaaswPip strain type 9 supergroup B. Six species had moderate to low (< 14%) frequencies ofWolbachia. Four species were negative,Ae.nigromaculis,An.franciscanus,An.freeborniandAe.aegypti.

Conclusions

New records ofWolbachiadetection were found in mosquitoes from Merced County, California.Culex stigmatosomaandCs.inornatawere new records forWolbachiasupergroup B and A, respectively. Other species withWolbachiaoccurred with low frequency and low density. Detection ofWolbachiain mosquitoes can be used to inform potential vector control applications. Future study ofWolbachiawithinCx.stigmatosomaandCs.inornatain California and through the range of these species could further exploreWolbachiainfection in these two species.
Combination of snapshot hyperspectral retinal imaging and optical coherence tomography to identify Alzheimer’s disease patients
Authors: Lemmens Sophie , Van Craenendonck Toon , Van Eijgen Jan , De Groef Lies , Bruffaerts Rose , de Jesus Danilo Andrade , Charle Wouter , Jayapala Murali , Sunaric-Mégevand Gordana , Standaert Arnout , Theunis Jan , Van Keer Karel , Vandenbulcke Mathieu , Moons Lieve , Vandenberghe Rik , De Boever Patrick , Stalmans Ingeborg
Published: November 2020

Introduction

The eye offers potential for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with retinal imaging techniques being explored to quantify amyloid accumulation and aspects of neurodegeneration. To assess these changes, this proof-of-concept study combined hyperspectral imaging and optical coherence tomography to build a classification model to differentiate between AD patients and controls.

Methods

In a memory clinic setting, patients with a diagnosis of clinically probable AD (n = 10) or biomarker-proven AD (n = 7) and controls (n = 22) underwent non-invasive retinal imaging with an easy-to-use hyperspectral snapshot camera that collects information from 16 spectral bands (460–620 nm, 10-nm bandwidth) in one capture. The individuals were also imaged using optical coherence tomography for assessing retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL). Dedicated image preprocessing analysis was followed by machine learning to discriminate between both groups.

Results

Hyperspectral data and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness data were used in a linear discriminant classification model to discriminate between AD patients and controls. Nested leave-one-out cross-validation resulted in a fair accuracy, providing an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.74 (95% confidence interval [0.60–0.89]). Inner loop results showed that the inclusion of the RNFL features resulted in an improvement of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: for the most informative region assessed, the average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.70 (95% confidence interval [0.55, 0.86]) and 0.79 (95% confidence interval [0.65, 0.93]), respectively. The robust statistics used in this study reduces the risk of overfitting and partly compensates for the limited sample size.

Conclusions

This study in a memory-clinic-based cohort supports the potential of hyperspectral imaging and suggests an added value of combining retinal imaging modalities. Standardization and longitudinal data on fully amyloid-phenotyped cohorts are required to elucidate the relationship between retinal structure and cognitive function and to evaluate the robustness of the classification model.
Prognosis prediction model for conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease created by integrative analysis of multi-omics data
Authors: Shigemizu Daichi , Akiyama Shintaro , Higaki Sayuri , Sugimoto Taiki , Sakurai Takashi , Boroevich Keith A. , Sharma Alok , Tsunoda Tatsuhiko , Ochiya Takahiro , Niida Shumpei , Ozaki Kouichi
Published: November 2020

Background

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but not all MCI patients develop AD. Biomarkers for early detection of individuals at high risk for MCI-to-AD conversion are urgently required.

Methods

We used blood-based microRNA expression profiles and genomic data of 197 Japanese MCI patients to construct a prognosis prediction model based on a Cox proportional hazard model. We examined the biological significance of our findings with single nucleotide polymorphism-microRNA pairs (miR-eQTLs) by focusing on the target genes of the miRNAs. We investigated functional modules from the target genes with the occurrence of hub genes though a large-scale protein-protein interaction network analysis. We further examined the expression of the genes in 610 blood samples (271 ADs, 248 MCIs, and 91 cognitively normal elderly subjects [CNs]).

Results

The final prediction model, composed of 24 miR-eQTLs and three clinical factors (age, sex, and APOE4 alleles), successfully classified MCI patients into low and high risk of MCI-to-AD conversion (log-rank test P = 3.44 × 10−4 and achieved a concordance index of 0.702 on an independent test set. Four important hub genes associated with AD pathogenesis (SHC1, FOXO1, GSK3B, and PTEN) were identified in a network-based meta-analysis of miR-eQTL target genes. RNA-seq data from 610 blood samples showed statistically significant differences in PTEN expression between MCI and AD and in SHC1 expression between CN and AD (PTEN, P = 0.023; SHC1, P = 0.049).

Conclusions

Our proposed model was demonstrated to be effective in MCI-to-AD conversion prediction. A network-based meta-analysis of miR-eQTL target genes identified important hub genes associated with AD pathogenesis. Accurate prediction of MCI-to-AD conversion would enable earlier intervention for MCI patients at high risk, potentially reducing conversion to AD.
Practical guide for evaluation and management of beta-lactam allergy: position statement from the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Authors: Jeimy Samira , Ben-Shoshan Moshe , Abrams Elissa M. , Ellis Anne K. , Connors Lori , Wong Tiffany
Published: November 2020

The vast majority of individuals labelled as allergic are not deemed truly allergic upon appropriate assessment by an allergist. A label of beta-lactam allergy carries important risks for individual and public health. This article provides an overview of beta-lactam allergy, implications of erroneous beta-lactam allergy labels and the impact that can be provided by structured allergy assessment. We provide recommendations on how to stratify risk of beta-lactam allergy, beta lactam challenge protocols as well as management of patients at high risk of beta-lactam allergy.
Further evidence that mechanisms of host/symbiont integration are dissimilar in the maternal versus embryonic Acyrthosiphon pisum bacteriome
Authors: Banfill Celeste R. , Wilson Alex C. C. , Lu Hsiao-ling
Published: November 2020

Background

Host/symbiont integration is a signature of evolutionarily ancient, obligate endosymbioses. However, little is known about the cellular and developmental mechanisms of host/symbiont integration at the molecular level. Many insects possess obligate bacterial endosymbionts that provide essential nutrients. To advance understanding of the developmental and metabolic integration of hosts and endosymbionts, we track the localization of a non-essential amino acid transporter, ApNEAAT1, across asexual embryogenesis in the aphid,Acyrthosiphon pisum. Previous work in adult bacteriomes revealed that ApNEAAT1 functions to exchange non-essential amino acids at theA. pisum/Buchnera aphidicolasymbiotic interface. Driven by amino acid concentration gradients, ApNEAAT1 moves proline, serine, and alanine fromA. pisumtoBuchneraand cysteine fromBuchneratoA. pisum. Here, we test the hypothesis that ApNEAAT1 is localized to the symbiotic interface during asexual embryogenesis.

Results

DuringA. pisumasexual embryogenesis, ApNEAAT1 does not localize to the symbiotic interface. We observed ApNEAAT1 localization to the maternal follicular epithelium, the germline, and, in late-stage embryos, to anterior neural structures and insect immune cells (hemocytes). We predict that ApNEAAT1 provisions non-essential amino acids to developing oocytes and embryos, as well as to the brain and related neural structures. Additionally, ApNEAAT1 may perform roles related to host immunity.

Conclusions

Our work provides further evidence that the embryonic and adult bacteriomes of asexualA. pisumare not equivalent. Future research is needed to elucidate the developmental time point at which the bacteriome reaches maturity.
Activation of mesenchymal stem cells promotes new bone formation within dentigerous cyst
Authors: Yu Yejia , Li Mengyu , Zhou Yuqiong , Shi Yueqi , Zhang Wenjie , Son Geehun , Ge Jing , Zhao Jun , Zhang Zhiyuan , Ye Dongxia , Yang Chi , Wang Shaoyi
Published: November 2020

Background

Dentigerous cyst (DC) is a bone destructive disease and remains a challenge for clinicians. Marsupialization enables the bone to regenerate with capsule maintaining, making it a preferred therapeutic means for DC adjacent to vital anatomical structures. Given that capsules of DC are derived from odontogenic epithelium remnants at the embryonic stage, we investigated whether there were mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) located in DC capsules and the role that they played in the bone regeneration after marsupialization.

Methods

Samples obtained before and after marsupialization were used for histological detection and cell culture. The stemness of cells isolated from fresh tissues was analyzed by morphology, surface marker, and multi-differentiation assays. Comparison of proliferation ability between MSCs isolated from DC capsules before (Bm-DCSCs) and after (Am-DCSCs) marsupialization was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), fibroblast colony-forming units (CFU-F), and 5′-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay. Their osteogenic capacity in vitro was detected by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin Red staining (ARS), combined with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence (IF) staining. Subcutaneous ectopic osteogenesis as well as cranial bone defect model in nude mice was performed to detect their bone regeneration and bone defect repairability.

Results

Bone tissue and strong ALP activity were detected in the capsule of DC after marsupialization. Two types of MSCs were isolated from fibrous capsules of DC both before (Bm-DCSCs) and after (Am-DCSCs) marsupialization. These fibroblast-like, colony-forming cells expressed MSC markers (CD44+, CD90+, CD31−, CD34−, CD45−), and they could differentiate into osteoblast-, adipocyte-, and chondrocyte-like cells under induction. Notably, Am-DCSCs performed better in cell proliferation and self-renewal. Moreover, Am-DCSCs showed a greater osteogenic capacity both in vitro and in vivo compared with Bm-DCSCs.

Conclusions

There are MSCs residing in capsules of DC, and the cell viability as well as the osteogenic capacity of them is largely enhanced after marsupialization. Our findings suggested that MSCs might play a crucial role in the healing process of DC after marsupialization, thus providing new insight into the treatment for DC by promoting the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs inside capsules.
A study on Copson operator and its associated sequence space II
Authors: Roopaei Hadi
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we investigate some properties of the domains $c(C^{n})$
c
(

C
n

)
, $c_{0}(C^{n})$

c
0

(

C
n

)
, and $\ell _{p}(C^{n})$

ℓ
p

(

C
n

)
$(0< p<1)$
(
0
<
p
<
1
)
of the Copson matrix of order n, where c, $c_{0}$

c
0

, and $\ell _{p}$

ℓ
p

are the spaces of all convergent, convergent to zero, and p-summable real sequences, respectively. Moreover, we compute the Köthe duals of these spaces and the lower bound of well-known operators on these sequence spaces. The domain $\ell _{p}(C^{n})$

ℓ
p

(

C
n

)
of Copson matrix $C^{n}$

C
n

of order n in the sequence space $\ell _{p}$

ℓ
p

, the norm of operators on this space, and the norm of Copson operator on several matrix domains have been investigated recently in (Roopaei in J. Inequal. Appl. 2020:120, 2020), and the present study is a complement of our previous research.
Medical image processing with contextual style transfer
Authors: Xu Yin , Li Yan , Shin Byeong-Seok
Published: November 2020

With recent advances in deep learning research, generative models have achieved great achievements and play an increasingly important role in current industrial applications. At the same time, technologies derived from generative methods are also under a wide discussion with researches, such as style transfer, image synthesis and so on. In this work, we treat generative methods as a possible solution to medical image augmentation. We proposed a context-aware generative framework, which can successfully change the gray scale of CT scans but almost without any semantic loss. By producing target images that with specific style / distribution, we greatly increased the robustness of segmentation model after adding generations into training set. Besides, we improved 2– 4% pixel segmentation accuracy over original U-NET in terms of spine segmentation. Lastly, we compared generations produced by networks when using different feature extractors (Vgg, ResNet and DenseNet) and made a detailed analysis on their performances over style transfer.
Artemether–lumefantrin treatment adherence among uncomplicated plasmodium falciparum malaria patients, visiting public health facilities in AsgedeTsimbla district, Tigray, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Gebrekidan Mekonnen Gebremichael , Gebremedhin Gebretsadik Berhe , Gebregiorgis Yosef Sibhatu , Gezehegn Alefech Addisu , Weldearegay Kissanet Tesfay
Published: November 2020

Background

Ethiopia has set a goal to eliminate malaria by 2030; Artemether–lumefantrine (AL) is put as one of the cornerstone strategies for uncomplicatedplasmodium falciparummalaria treatment. However, only focusing on prescribing of the treatment without assessing patients’ adherence could lead to the resistance of the drug. In Ethiopia, there is limited evidence about patients’ adherence to AL and its influencing factors. Therefore, this study aimed at addressing this information gap.

Methods

A health facility based cross-sectional study was employed. Participants were selected using simple random sampling technique from registration books of the public health facilities in AsgedeTsimbla. Data were collected from March 24th to April 30th, 2018. We interviewed participants using a pre-tested structured questionnaire, and the blister pack was also inspected at their homes on day 4. Data were entered into Epi-Info and analyzed using SPSS 21. Odds ratios with 95% Confidence Intervals were estimated and the level of significance was declared at p-value ≤ 0.05.

Results

A total of 384 study participants were interviewed with a response rate of 95.5%. The overall AL adherence was 53.6% (95% CI 48.4–58.3%). Children aged < 5 years [AOR: 0.4, 95% CI (0.2–0.8)], and being treated in health post [AOR: 0.3, 95% CI (0.1–0.5)] were more likely to show AL adherence whereas illiteracy [AOR: 9.4, 95% CI (4.2–21.3)], didn’t know the consequence of discontinued AL [AOR: 4.0, 95% CI (2.1–7.6)], had concomitant drugs [AOR: 2.5, 95% CI (1.4–4.5)], and stopped/saved drug when improved before tablet got finished [AOR: 3.2, 95% CI (1.7–5.9)] were factors less likely to be associated with AL adherence.

Conclusion

AL adherence was low. Children aged < 5 years, and being treated in health post were determinants of AL adherence whereas illiteracy, didn’t know the consequence of discontinued the drug, had concomitant drugs, and stopped/saved drug when improved before tablet got finished were factors that hindered the AL adherence. Stakeholders should emphasize designing appropriate strategies including educational interventions to increase the AL adherence and prevent drug resistance. Further research should be conducted to evaluate AL resistance.
The Gender Violence - Implicit Association Test to measure attitudes toward intimate partner violence against women
Authors: Ferrer-Perez Victoria A. , Sánchez-Prada Andrés , Delgado-Álvarez Carmen , Bosch-Fiol Esperanza
Published: November 2020

Attitudes play a central role in intimate partner violence against women and are related to its origin, to the responses of women who suffer violence, and to the settings where it occurs. In fact, these attitudes are recognized as one of the risk factors linked to violent perpetration and to public, professional, and victim responses to this type of violence. However, even though available research generally shows a broad rejection of this violence, it remains a serious social and health problem that has reached epidemic proportions. This suggests that the information available about these attitudes (obtained through explicit and direct measures, i.e., self-reports) may be distorted or influenced by factors such as social desirability. In this context, the overall objective of our research project is to provide multi-method measures (explicit and implicit) of attitudes toward intimate partner violence against women, and the main goal of this paper is to propose an instrument for the implicit measurement of these attitudes. In this regard, the Implicit Association Test (IAT) is the most common procedure used, providing a superior predictive validity compared to explicit measures for socially sensitive topics. We will present an exploratory study that describes its adaptation for our purposes, and the development of the Gender Violence - Implicit Association Test (GV-IAT) to use among Spanish-speaking populations, and discuss the strengths and limitations of this proposal.
Impact of inter-reader contouring variability on textural radiomics of colorectal liver metastases
Authors: Rizzetto Francesco , Calderoni Francesca , De Mattia Cristina , Defeudis Arianna , Giannini Valentina , Mazzetti Simone , Vassallo Lorenzo , Ghezzi Silvia , Sartore-Bianchi Andrea , Marsoni Silvia , Siena Salvatore , Regge Daniele , Torresin Alberto , Vanzulli Angelo
Published: November 2020

Background

Radiomics is expected to improve the management of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). We aimed at evaluating the impact of liver lesion contouring as a source of variability on radiomic features (RFs).

Methods

After Ethics Committee approval, 70 liver metastases in 17 CRC patients were segmented on contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans by two residents and checked by experienced radiologists. RFs from grey level co-occurrence and run length matrices were extracted from three-dimensional (3D) regions of interest (ROIs) and the largest two-dimensional (2D) ROIs. Inter-reader variability was evaluated with Dice coefficient and Hausdorff distance, whilst its impact on RFs was assessed using mean relative change (MRC) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). For the main lesion of each patient, one reader also segmented a circular ROI on the same image used for the 2D ROI.

Results

The best inter-reader contouring agreement was observed for 2D ROIs according to both Dice coefficient (median 0.85, interquartile range 0.78–0.89) and Hausdorff distance (0.21 mm, 0.14–0.31 mm). Comparing RF values, MRC ranged 0–752% for 2D and 0–1567% for 3D. For 24/32 RFs (75%), MRC was lower for 2D than for 3D. An ICC > 0.90 was observed for more RFs for 2D (53%) than for 3D (34%). Only 2/32 RFs (6%) showed a variability between 2D and circular ROIs higher than inter-reader variability.

Conclusions

A 2D contouring approach may help mitigate overall inter-reader variability, albeit stable RFs can be extracted from both 3D and 2D segmentations of CRC liver metastases.
Rural community attitude towards mental healthcare: a mixed-method study in Khurda district of Odisha, India
Authors: Jena Sunita , Sahoo Krushna Chandra , Samal Mousumi , Kripalini P. , Shrivastava Chandni , Anand Henanee , Mahapatra Pranab , Pati Sanghamitra
Published: November 2020

Background

Mental health is a global concern due to its hasty escalation. The shifting social dynamics in rural India intensify care-seeking behaviors, which means immediate action is required. Mental illness, however, is seen as a neglected disorder. This study examined the attitude of rural people towards mental health care in rural Odisha, India. An explanatory mixed-method study was conducted among 395 participants age between 18 to 65 years in two rural blocks of Khurdha district, Odisha. A total of 16 in-depth interviews were conducted among the caretakers of the patients.

Results

The educational level, religion, age, and gender (p < 0.05) had significantly associated with attitudes towards mental healthcare facilities; female having lower-education had more negative attitudes towards mental healthcare facilities. The major barriers for the mental healthcare were the rejection of mental illness by patients due to fear of societal stigma, faith on religious healers, and lack of availability of mental health services.

Conclusions

Perspective of people should be considered along with their location, gender, and education when strategizing the psychiatric healthcare system as their perception/attitude serves as facilitators/barriers for achieving mental healthcare goals and psychiatric hospital goals.
Exploring the potential of using bioactive plant products in the management of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. albedinis: the causal agent of Bayoud disease on date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)
Authors: Bouhlali Eimad Dine Tariq , Derouich Mgal , Ben-Amar Houria , Meziani Reda , Essarioui Adil
Published: November 2020

Background

“Bayoud” disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis (Foa) poses a serious threat to date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Morocco. However, research studies performed to discover biological methods to control this disease remain limited. The present study has set objectives to determine antifungal activity of five plants extracts (Acacia cyanophylla, Cupressus atlantica, Eucalyptus torquata, Nerium oleander, and Schinus molle) against Foa and link this effect to their content in polyphenols and flavonoids as well as their antioxidant properties.

Results

Plant extracts showed significant differences (p < 0.05) regarding their antifungal activity. The extracts of E. torquata and C. atlantica showed the strongest antifungal effect resulting in the inhibition of mycelial growth, sporulation, and spore germination in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, there were significant differences among the examined plant extracts in respect to their total polyphenols (1.536–7.348 g GAE/100 g DW), flavonoids (0.986–5.759 g RE/100 g DW), and antioxidant properties measured by Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) (7.47–38.97 mmol TE/100 g DW) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay (8.95–47.36 mmol TE/100 g DW). Moreover, the antifungal potential of plant extracts was found to be moderately to strongly correlated with their polyphenol and flavonoid contents as well as their antioxidant activity, implying that the effective inhibitory activity of these plant extracts is partly due to their richness in antioxidative secondary metabolites.

Conclusion

Our findings shed further light on plants as a-yet-untapped resource of bioactive compounds and constructed the foundation for the development of new biological approaches to best manage Bayoud disease.
Identification, synthesis, and characterization of potential genotoxic impurities of sildenafil citrate drug substance
Authors: Rajesh Reddy P. , Musunuri Sivanadh , Rama Sekhara Reddy D. , Chittala V. Subrahmanyam , Murthy P V. N. S. , Krishnamohan K.
Published: November 2020

Background

Sildenafil is a selective inhibitor of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-specifil phophodiesterase type 5 (PDE5). Sildenafil enhances the effect of nitric oxide by inhibiting phosphodiesterase type 5, which is responsible for the degradation of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum. The possible genotoxic impurities of sildenafil were synthesized, i.e., sildenafil sulfonyl methyl ester, sildenafil sulfonyl ethyl ester, and sildenafil sulfonyl isopropyl ester. The present work describes the synthesis and characterization of these sulfonyl ester compounds related to sildenafil.

Results

All the synthesized sildenafil sulfonyl esters have proved to be beneficial for the pharmaceutical industry in view of the regulatory importance.

Conclusion

A simple, efficient, and repeatable method was developed for the preparation of sildenafil sulfonyl esters in view of the regulatory importance of the potential genotoxic impurities in the active pharmaceutical ingredient. A detailed study of various impurities in sildenafil was conducted. Different process-related sulfonyl esters in sildenafil were identified, synthesized, and characterized by using various spectroscopic techniques like liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS), mass, 1H NMR, and FT-IR. These efforts to synthesize and characterize them effectively have proved to be beneficial.
Intensity of End-of-Life Care in a Cohort of Commercially Insured Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer in the United States
Authors: Ferrario Alessandra , Xu Xin , Zhang Fang , Ross-Degnan Dennis , Wharam J. Frank , Wagner Anita K.
Published: November 2020

PURPOSE:

There is limited evidence on the intensity of end-of-life (EOL) care for women < 65 years old, who account for about 40% of breast cancer deaths in the United States. Using established indicators, we estimated the intensity of EOL care among these women.

METHODS:

We used 2000-2014 claims data from a large US insurer to identify women with metastatic breast cancer who, in the last month of their lives, had more than one hospital admission, emergency department visit, or an intensive care unit (ICU) admission and/or used antineoplastic therapy in the last 14 days of life. Using multivariate logistic regression, we assessed whether intensity of EOL care differed by demographic characteristics, socioeconomic factors, or regions.

RESULTS:

Adjusted estimates show an increase in EOL ICU admissions between 2000-2003 and 2010-2014 from 14% (95% CI, 10% to 17%) to 23% (95% CI, 20% to 26%) and a small increase in emergency department visits from 10% (95% CI, 7% to 13%) to 12% (95% CI, 9% to 15%), both statistically significant. There was no statistically significant change in the proportions of women experiencing more than one EOL hospitalization (14% in 2010-2014; 95% CI, 11% to 17%) and of those receiving EOL antineoplastic treatment (24% in 2010-2014; 95% CI, 21% to 27%). Living in predominantly mixed, Hispanic, Black, or Asian neighborhoods correlated with more intense care (odds ratio, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.77 for ICU).

CONCLUSION:

Consistent with findings in the Medicare population, our results suggest an overall increase in the number of ICU admissions at the EOL over time. They also suggest that patients from non-White neighborhoods receive more intense acute care.
Cdc48 regulates intranuclear quality control sequestration of the Hsh155 splicing factor in budding yeast
Authors: Mathew Veena , Kumar Arun , Jiang Yangyang K. , West Kyra , Tam Annie S. , Stirling Peter C.
Published: November 2020

Cdc48 (known as VCP in mammals) is a highly conserved ATPase chaperone that plays an essential role in the assembly and disassembly of protein–DNA complexes and in degradation of misfolded proteins. We find that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae budding yeast, Cdc48 accumulates during cellular stress at intranuclear protein quality control sites (INQ). We show that Cdc48 function is required to suppress INQ formation under non-stress conditions and to promote recovery following genotoxic stress. Cdc48 physically associates with the INQ substrate and splicing factor Hsh155, and regulates its assembly with partner proteins. Accordingly, cdc48 mutants have defects in splicing and show spontaneous distribution of Hsh155 to INQ aggregates, where it is stabilized. Overall, this study shows that Cdc48 regulates deposition of proteins at INQ and suggests a previously unknown role for Cdc48 in the regulation or stabilization of splicing subcomplexes.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
MosaicExplorerJ: Interactive stitching of terabyte-size tiled datasets from lightsheet microscopy
Authors: Tosi Sébastien , Bardia Lídia , Barallobre Maria Jose , Muñoz-Barrutia Arrate , Soto-Montenegro María Luisa , Colombelli Julien
Published: November 2020

We introduce MosaicExplorerJ, an ImageJ macro to stitch 3D tiles from terabyte-size microscopy datasets. As opposed to existing software, stitching does not require any prior information on the actual positions of the tiles, sample fiducials, or conversion of raw TIFF images, and the stitched images can be explored instantly. MosaicExplorerJ was specifically designed to process lightsheet microscopy datasets from optically cleared samples. It can handle multiple fluorescence channels, dual-side lightsheet illumination and dual-side camera detection.
Visualization of exhaled breath by transmission electronic speckle pattern interferometry
Authors: Moore Thomas R.
Published: November 2020

A method for visualizing the air flow from the mouths of vocalists and wind musical instruments is presented. The method is based on a modification of electronic speckle pattern interferometry that incorporates the interference of a transmitted object beam rather than the standard method using a reflected object beam. The resulting whole-field real-time images are a valuable resource for both scientific and pedagogical use.
Continuously tunable high-power single-longitudinal-mode Ho:YLF laser around the P12 CO2 absorption line
Authors: Wang Yunpeng , Ju Youlun , Dai Tongyu , Yan Dong , Chen Ying , Fang Xinyu , Duan Xiaoming , Yao Baoquan
Published: November 2020

A continuously tuned single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) Ho:YLF laser around the P12

C
O

2

absorption line was demonstrated. The continuous tuning range of 5.75 pm within one longitudinal mode spacing of the Ho:YLF resonator was realized by using a novel intra-cavity wedge prism device fixed on the piezoelectric transducer (PZT) as the cavity length controller. High SLM power of 11.3 W was obtained from a Ho:YLF amplifier with three crystals at the pump power of 31.8 W and master oscillator power of 323 mW, corresponding to a gain of 15.44 dB and an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 34.5%. The beam quality factors

M
2

of the SLM Ho:YLF amplifier in the

x

and

y

directions were estimated to be 1.04 and 1.05, respectively.
Post-processing ZnSe optical fibers with a micro-chemical vapor transport technique
Authors: Hendrickson Alex T. , Aro Stephen C. , Sparks Justin R. , Coco Michael G. , Krug James P. , Mathewson Carly J. , McDaniel Sean A. , Sazio Pier J. , Cook Gary , Gopalan Venkatraman , Badding John V.
Published: November 2020

Polycrystalline zinc selenide optical fibers and fiber lasers are expected to provide powerful capabilities for infrared waveguiding and laser technology. High pressure chemical vapor deposition, which is the only technique currently capable of producing zinc selenide optical fibers, leaves a geometric imperfection in the form of a central pore which is detrimental to mode quality. Chemical vapor transport with large temperature and pressure gradients not only fills this central pore but also encourages polycrystalline grain growth. Increased grain size and a reduction in defects such as twinning are demonstrated with transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, supporting that high-quality material is produced from this method. Finally, the mode structure of the waveguide is improved allowing most of the guided optical intensity to be centrally positioned in the fiber core. Loss as low as 0.22 dB/cm at 1908nm is demonstrated as a result of the material improvement.
DGQR estimation for interval censored quantile regression with varying-coefficient models
Authors: Li ChunJing , Li Yun , Ding Xue , Dong XiaoGang
Published: November 2020

This paper propose a direct generalization quantile regression estimation method (DGQR estimation) for quantile regression with varying-coefficient models with interval censored data, which is a direct generalization for complete observed data. The consistency and asymptotic normality properties of the estimators are obtained. The proposed method has the advantage that does not require the censoring vectors to be identically distributed. The effectiveness of the method is verified by some simulation studies and a real data example.
The loss of microglia activities facilitates glaucoma progression in association with CYP1B1 gene mutation (p.Gly61Glu)
Authors: Alghamdi Amani , Aldossary Wadha , Albahkali Sarah , Alotaibi Batoul , Alrfaei Bahauddeen M.
Published: November 2020

Background

Glaucoma represents the second main cause of irreversible loss of eyesight worldwide. Progression of the disease is due to changes around the optic nerve, eye structure and optic nerve environment. Focusing on primary congenital glaucoma, which is not completely understood, we report an evaluation of an untested mutation (c.182G>A, p.Gly61Glu) within the CYP1B1 gene in the context of microglia, astrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells. We investigated the behaviours of these cells, which are needed to maintain eye homeostasis, in response to the CYP1B1 mutation.

Methods and results

CRISPR technology was used to edit normal CYP1B1 genes within normal astrocytes, microglia and stem cells in vitro. Increased metabolic activities were found in microglia and astrocytes 24 hours after CYP1B1 manipulation. However, these activities dropped by 40% after 72 hrs. In addition, the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP)/NADPH reducing equivalent process decreased by 50% on average after 72 hrs of manipulation. The cytokines measured in mutated microglia showed progressive activation leading to apoptosis, which was confirmed with annexin-V. The cytokines evaluated in mutant astrocytes were abnormal in comparison to those in the control.

Conclusions

The results suggest a progressive inflammation that was induced by mutations (p.Gly61Glu) on CYP1B1. Furthermore, the mutations enhanced the microglia’s loss of activity. We are the first to show the direct impact of the mutation on microglia. This progressive inflammation might be responsible for primary congenital glaucoma complications, which could be avoided via an anti-inflammatory regimen. This finding also reveals that progressive inflammation affects recovery failure after surgeries to relieve glaucoma. Moreover, microglia are important for the survival of ganglion cells, along with the clearing of pathogens and inflammation. The reduction of their activities may jeopardise homeostasis within the optic nerve environment and complicate the protection of optic nerve components (such as retinal ganglion and glial cells).