bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
KAPASITAS LENTUR BALOK BETON BERTULANG HVFA MEMADAT SENDIRI TERHADAP BETON NORMAL DENGAN KADAR FLY ASH 50%.
Authors: Aji Gilang Dwi , Budi Agus Setiya , Saifullah Halwan Alfisa
Published: January 2020

Fly ash merupakan limbah pembakaran batu bara berukuran mikron yang memiliki kandungan silika (SiO2) tinggi. Senyawa tersebut berfungsi sebagai pozolan untuk mengikat hasil sisa reaksi hidrasi berupa kristal Ca(OH)2menjadi CSH untuk meningkatkan kekuatan beton. Dengan kadar fly ash lebih besar sama dengan 50% dari total powder, serta penambahan super plasticizer agar beton mampu memadat sendiri, beton tersebut dapat disebut High Volume Fly Ash - Self Compacting Concrete (HVFA-SCC). Untuk melihat perilaku beton HVFA-SCC pada komponen struktur penelitian ini mengkaji perilaku lentur balok dengan penambahan 50% fly ash pada balok beton bertulang dan dibandingkan dengan lentur balok beton normal. Metode penelitian eksperimen menggunakan benda uji balok beton bertulang HVFA-SCC 50% dan balok beton normal dengan jumlah masing-masing 3 balok, dengan dimensi panjang 1500 mm, lebar 100 mm, dan tinggi 150 mm. Sampel balok dibatasi dengan penyeragaman mutu beton 30 Mpa. Pengujian dilakukan dengan metode four point loading pada jarak 1/3 bentang. Dari hasil penelitian didapatkan balok HVFA-SCC 50% mendapatkan nilai lendutan dan beban yang lebih besar dibandingkan balok beton normal. Dengan nilai indeks kekakuan sebesar 10,256 pada saat retak dan 4,072 pada saat leleh untuk balok HVFA-SCC 50% serta 7,831 saat retak dan 3,757 pada saat leleh untuk balok beton normal.
KAPASITAS LENTUR BALOK BETON BERTULANG HIGH VOLUME FLY ASH (HVFA) MEMADAT SEBDIRI DENGAN KADAR FLY ASH 60% TERHADAP BETON NORMAL
Authors: Nurfaizi Elfizar , Budi Agus Setiya , Kristiawan Stefanus Adi
Published: January 2020

Fly ash merupakan limbah pembakaran batu bara yang dapat digunakan untuk mensubtitusi semen karena memiliki sifat pozzolan. Penggunaan fly ash dengan kadar setidaknya 50% jumlah semen dan penambahan superplastictizer mampu menghasilkan struktur beton yang daktail dan dapat mengalir sendiri atau disebut High Volume Fly Ash - Self Compacting Concrete (HVFA-SCC). Penelitian ini mengkaji kapasitas lentur balok beton bertulang dengan 60% fly ash dan dibandingkan dengan kapsitas lentur balok beton normal. Penelitian ini menggunakan 3 balok beton bertulang HVFA-SCC dan 3 balok beton bertulang normal dengan dimensi panjang 1500 mm, lebar 100 mm, dan tinggi 150 mm. Sampel tersebut diseragamkan berdasarkan mutu yaitu 30 MPa pada umur 28 hari. Pengujian beton segar HVFA-SCC dilakukan dengan 3 metode yaitu : flow table test, L-box test, dan V-funnel test. Sedangkan pada beton normal dilakukan pengujian slump. Untuk pengujian balok menggunakan alat loading frame yang akan diuji menggunakan metode four point loading yaitu pembebanan dilakukan pada 2 buah titik pembebanan di 1/3 bentang untuk mencari kapasitas lentur balok tersebut. Dari hasil penelitian didapatkan bahwa pada balok beton bertulang HVFA-SCC memiliki beban dan lendutan yang lebih besar dari pada balok beton bertulang normal.
Anterior Capsular Reconstruction Using a Dermal Allograft for an Irreparable Subscapularis Tear After Shoulder Arthroplasty
Authors: Myers Devon , Triplet Jacob J. , Johnson David B. , Strakowski Jeffery A. , Wiseman Stephen P. , Long Nathaniel K.
Published: January 2020

Case:

A 51-year-old man was noted to have an irreparable subscapularis tear after total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). Owing to positive reported results with superior capsular reconstruction, his insufficiency was addressed with anterior capsular reconstruction with use of a dermal allograft. Two-year follow-up results demonstrate good functional outcomes, no recurrent instability, and excellent patient satisfaction.

Conclusions:

Anterior shoulder insufficiency after TSA can significantly alter glenohumeral function and is an important cause of patient morbidity. This novel technique exhibits a good outcome and provides an alternative to previous methods of repair.
Intraneural Peroneal Ganglion Cyst Excision in a Pediatric Patient
Authors: Apel Peter J. , Zielinski Julie A. , Grider Douglas J. , Brown Ralph D. , Orfield Noah J.
Published: January 2020

Case:

A 14-year-old female presented with a profound foot drop after trauma to the right leg. Clinical examination and electrodiagnostic studies demonstrated a dense palsy of the common peroneal nerve. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intraneural peroneal ganglion cyst at the fibular neck. Surgical treatment included decompression and transection of the articular branch to the proximal tibiofibular joint. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient demonstrated complete recovery of peroneal nerve function.

Conclusions:

This case demonstrates a rare finding of a pediatric intraneural peroneal ganglion cyst. The presentation and treatment is well-documented and adds depth to the literature on a sparsely reported condition.
Effect of volatile and intravenous anesthesia on long-term survival of cancer surgery patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Gong Li , Dong Chao , Cai Qian , Ouyang Wen
Published: January 2020

Background The impact of volatile anesthesia (INHA) and total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) on the long-term survival of patients after oncology surgery is a subject of controversy. The purpose of this study was to make overall evaluation of the association between these two anesthetic techniques and long-term prognosis of oncology patients after surgery. Methods Databases were searched according to the PRISMA guidelines up to September 30, 2018. Hazard ratios (HRs) with its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated after multivariable analyses and propensity score (PS) adjustments. Eight retrospective cohort articles reporting data on overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were included. An inverse variance random effects meta-analysis was conducted. The Newcastle Scale was used to assess methodological quality and bias. Results In total, about 18922 cancer patients observed were included in the meta-analysis, of which 10433 cases were available for analysis in INHA and 8489 in TIVA group. Compared to TIVA, INHA showed a shorter OS (HR =1.27, 95% CI 1.069 to 1.516, p=0.007), with a medium heterogeneity (Q-test p=0.003, I-squared=67.6%). However, no significant differences were identified between INHA and TIVA group (HR =1.10, 95% CI 0.729 to 1.659, p=0.651) concerning RFS albeit from a limited data pool. When a subgroup analysis was performed by race, the association was more likely to be observed in the Asian studies (HR=1.46, 95%CI 1.19–1.8, p =0.00), with a much lower heterogeneity (Q-test p=0.148, I-squared=44%). When comparison was done only in breast cancer patients, no significant differences were found for OS (HR=1.625, 95%CI 0.273-9.67, p=0.594) between INHA and TIVA. Conclusion TIVA for cancer surgery might be associated with better OS compared to INHA. The effect of INHA and TIVA on OS and RFS in the perioperative setting remains uncertain, cancer-specific, and has low-level evidence at present. Randomized controlled trials are required in future work. Registry number The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (Registration NO.CRD42018109341).
Developing a composite outcome measure for frailty prevention trials – rationale, derivation and sample size comparison with other candidate measures
Authors: Witham Miles D. , Wason James , Dodds Richard M , Sayer Avan A
Published: January 2020

Introduction Frailty is the loss of ability to withstand a physiological stressor, and is associated with multiple adverse outcomes in older people. Trials to prevent or ameliorate frailty are in their infancy. A range of different outcome measures have been proposed, but current measures require either large sample sizes, long follow-up, or do not directly measure the construct of frailty. Methods We propose a composite outcome for frailty prevention trials, comprising progression to the frail state, death, or being too unwell to continue in a trial. To determine likely event rates, we used data from the English Longitudinal Study for Ageing, collected 4 years apart. We calculated transition rates between non-frail, prefrail, frail or loss to follow up due to death or illness. We used Markov state transition models to interpolate one- and two-year transition rates, and performed sample size calculations for a range of differences in transition rates using simple and composite outcomes. Results The frailty category was calculable for 4650 individuals at baseline (2226 non-frail, 1907 prefrail, 517 frail); at follow up, 1282 were non-frail, 1108 were prefrail, 318 were frail and 1936 had dropped out or were unable to complete all tests for frailty. Transition probabilities for those prefrail at baseline, measured at wave 4 were respectively 0.176, 0.286, 0.096 and 0.442 to non-frail, prefrail, frail and dead/dropped out. Interpolated transition probabilities were 0.159, 0.494, 0.113 and 0.234 at two years, and 0.108, 0.688, 0.087 and 0.117 at one year. Required sample sizes for a two-year outcome were between 1000 and 7200 for transition from prefrailty to frailty alone, 250 to 1600 for transition to the composite measure, and 75 to 350 using the composite measure with an ordinal logistic regression approach. Conclusion Use of a composite outcome for frailty trials offers reduced sample sizes and could ameliorate the effect of high loss to follow up inherent in such trials due to death and illness.
­­A convolutional neural network-based system to detect malignant findings in FDG PET/CT examinations
Authors: Kawauchi Keisuke , Furuya Sho , Hirata Kenji , Katoh Chietsugu , Manabe Osamu , Kobayashi Kentaro , Watanabe Shiro , Shiga Tohru
Published: January 2020

Background: As the number of PET/CT scanners increases and FDG PET/CT becomes a common imaging modality for oncology, the demands for automated detection systems on artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent human oversight and misdiagnosis are rapidly growing. We aimed to develop a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based system that can classify whole-body FDG PET as 1) benign, 2) malignant, or 3) equivocal.
Methods: This retrospective study investigated 3,485 sequential patients with malignant or suspected malignant disease, who underwent whole-body FDG PET/CT at our institute. All the cases were classified into the 3 categories by a nuclear medicine physician. A residual network (ResNet)-based CNN architecture was built for classifying patients into the 3 categories. In addition, we performed region-based analysis of the CNN (head-and-neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvic region).
Results: There were 1,280 (37%), 1,450 (42%), and 755 (22%) patients classified as benign, malignant and equivocal, respectively. In patient-based analysis, the CNN predicted benign, malignant and equivocal images with 99.4%, 99.4%, and 87.5% accuracy, respectively. In region-based analysis, the prediction was correct with the probability of 97.3% (head-and-neck), 96.6% (chest), 92.8% (abdomen) and 99.6% (pelvic region), respectively.
Conclusion: The CNN-based system reliably classified FDG PET images into 3 categories, indicating that it could be helpful for physicians as a double-checking system to prevent oversight and misdiagnosis.
Mobile phone usage in patients with type II diabetes and their intention to use it for self-management: a cross-sectional study in Iran
Authors: Jeddi Fatemeh Rangraz , Nabovati Ehsan , Hamidi Rahele , Sharif Reihane
Published: January 2020

Background: Mobile health has potential for promotion of self-management in patients with chronic diseases. This study was conducted to investigate smartphone usage in patients with type II diabetes and their intention to use it for self-management.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 with 176 patients with type II diabetes visiting a specialized diabetes clinic or one of two endocrinology and metabolism specialists in north of Iran. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire containing items on demographic characteristics, disease information, use of mobile phones, smartphones and the internet, and intention to use mobile phones for diabetes self-management.
Results: The majority of the participants had mobile phones (94.9%), smartphones (61.1%), and daily access to the internet (81.3%), and used phones two hours per day on average (80.1%). They mostly used mobile phones to contact friends (89.2%) and search for information (50.6%), and their greatest intention for using smartphones and the internet for self-management was related to dietary planning (96%), checking blood glucose (90.9%), and contacting specialists (87.5%). Younger participants were more interested in using smartphone applications (apps) (P<0.001). About half of the participants argued that using apps can be interesting (54%) and useful (50%) for diabetes management, and intended to use apps much more in future (48.3%).
Conclusions: The majority of patients with type II diabetes are inclined to use mobile phone and the Internet, especially to plan their diet, check blood glucose, and contact their doctors. The present study provides valuable information for designing and implementing interventions based on mHealth to promote self-management in type II diabetes.
Fructo-Oligosaccharides Ameliorate Steatohepatitis, Visceral Adiposity, and Associated Chronic Inflammation via Increased Production of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in a Mouse Model of Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis
Authors: Takai Atsuko , Kikuchi Kentaro , Ichimura Mayuko , Tsuneyama Koichi , Moritoki Yuki , Matsumoto Kotaro , Tsunashima Hiromichi , Onda Takeshi , Kuniyoshi Noriyuki , Nariyama Tomoyuki , Ohyatsu Sho , Kubota Juri , Nagumo Kozue , Sato Shipei , Hara Masumi , Miyakawa Hiroshi
Published: January 2020

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Within the spectrum of NAFLD, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in combination with hepatic inflammation and fibrosis can lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Dysbiosis was reported to contribute to NASH pathogenesis. This study aimed to determine the effects of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) on steatohepatitis and visceral adiposity in an obese mouse model of NASH.
Methods: Twelve newborn C57BL/6J male mice were subcutaneously injected with monosodium glutamate (MSG) to induce obesity on a conventional diet. Six mice were also administered 5% FOS via drinking water from 10 weeks of age. At 18 weeks, histological characteristics of the liver and epididymal fat were compared between the groups. Hepatic mRNA expression of lipid metabolism enzymes and SCFA in feces and sera were measured.
Results: Hepatic steatosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, and hepatocyte ballooning in the liver and increased hepatic mRNA expression of fatty acid synthase and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase were observed in the MSG-treated mice. FOS treatment improved the liver pathology and blunted the increases in the mRNA expression levels of lipid metabolism enzymes. In addition, FOS inhibited adipocyte enlargement and formation of crown-like structures and reduced the M1 macrophage frequency in the epididymal fat of the MSG mice (39.4% ± 3.0% vs. 22.8% ± 0.7%; P = 0.001). FOS increased not only the fecal concentrations of n-butyric acid (0.04 ± 0.01 vs. 0.38 ± 0.14 mg/g, P = 0.02), propionic acid (0.09 ± 0.03 vs. 0.42 ± 0.16 mg/g, P = 0.02), and acetic acid (0.65 ± 0.16 vs. 1.48 ± 0.29 mg/g, P = 0.03) but also the serum concentration of propionic acid (3.9 ± 0.5 vs. 8.2 ± 0.5 μmol/L, P = 0.001).
Conclusions: FOS ameliorates steatohepatitis, visceral adiposity, and chronic inflammation by increasing SCFA production .
Immune Classification for the PD-L1 Expression and Tumour-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Colorectal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Noh Byeong-Joo , Kwak Jae Young , Eom Dae-Woon
Published: January 2020

Background Colorectal adenocarcinoma is the third most common cancer worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related death. The recent emergence of diverse immunotherapeutic agents has made it crucial to interpret a complex tumour microenvironment intermingled with tumour-infiltrating immune cells to predict the immunotherapeutic response rate. However, in colorectal adenocarcinoma, studies are lacking that provide detailed analyses of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) to elucidate their prognostic values and to identify immunotherapy-targetable subgroups, preferably with multiple immune-related biomarkers. In the present study, we categorize colorectal adenocarcinomas into four types of tumour immune microenvironments according to PD-L1 expression and TIL, analyse their prognostic values, and propose an immunotherapy-targetable subgroup.Methods Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples of surgically resected primary colorectal adenocarcinomas (n = 489) were obtained and arrayed on tissue microarray blocks. Immunohistochemical stains for PD-L1, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8), and microsatellite instability (MSI) were performed and evaluated.Results Tumour microenvironment immune type (TMIT) I (PD-L1-positive tumour cells and CD8-high TIL) and type II (PD-L1-negative tumour cells and CD8-low TIL) showed the best and worst prognoses, respectively. PD-L1 overexpression was significantly associated with MSI status. PD-L1 immunoreactivity was positively correlated with TIL having CD8 or PD-1 overexpression.Conclusions TMIT I subgroup showed stronger CD8/PD-L1/PD-1 signalling interaction compared to the other TMIT. Therefore, we propose that the TMIT I subgroup is a candidate TMIT to predict effective response rate for existing immune checkpoint inhibitors and determine targetable subgroups for emerging therapies.
The DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, guadecitabine, targets tumor-induced myelopoiesis and recovers T cell activity to slow tumor growth in combination with adoptive immunotherapy in a mouse model of breast cancer
Authors: Luker Andrea J , Graham Laura J , Smith Timothy J. , Camarena Carmen , Zellner Matthew P , Gilmer Jamie-Jean S , Damle Sheela R , Conrad Daniel H , Martin Rebecca K , Bear Harry D
Published: January 2020

Background: Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) present a significant obstacle to cancer immunotherapy because they dampen anti-tumor cytotoxic T cell responses. Previous groups, including our own, have reported on the myelo-depletive effects of certain chemotherapy agents. We have shown previously that decitabine increased tumor cell Class I and tumor antigen expression, increased ability of tumor cells to stimulate T lymphocytes, depleted tumor-induced MDSC in vivo and augmented immunotherapy of a murine mammary carcinoma.

Results: In this study, we expand upon this observation by testing a next-generation DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (DNMTi), guadecitabine, which has increased stability in the circulation. Using the 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma model, in BALB/cJ female mice, we found that guadecitabine significantly reduces tumor burden in a T cell-dependent manner by preventing excessive myeloid proliferation and systemic accumulation of MDSC. The remaining MDSC were shifted to an antigen-presenting phenotype. Building upon our previous publication, we show that guadecitabine enhances the therapeutic effect of adoptively transferred antigen-experienced lymphocytes to diminish tumor growth and improve overall survival. We also show guadecitabine’s versatility with similar tumor reduction and augmentation of immunotherapy in the C57BL/6J E0771 murine breast cancer model.

Conclusions: Guadecitabine depleted and altered MDSC, inhibited growth of two different murine mammary carcinomas in vivo, and augmented immunotherapeutic efficacy. Based on these findings, we believe the immune-modulatory effects of guadecitabine can help rescue anti-tumor immune response and contribute to the overall effectiveness of current cancer immunotherapies.
Evolution of PHAS Loci in the Young Spike of Allohexaploid Wheat
Authors: Zhang Rongzhi , Huang Siyuan , Li Shiming , Song Guoqi , Li Yulian , Li Wei , Li Jihu , Gao Jie , Gu Tiantian , Li Dandan , Zhang Shujuan , Li Genying
Published: January 2020

Background: PhasiRNAs (phased secondary siRNAs) play important regulatory roles in the development processes and biotic or abiotic stresses in plants. Some of phasiRNAs involve in the reproductive development in grasses, which include two categories, 21-nt (nucleotide) and 24-nt phasiRNAs. They are triggered by miR2118 and miR2275 respectively, in premeiotic and meiotic anthers of rice, maize and other grass species. Wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) with three closely related subgenomes (subA, subB and subD), is a model of allopolyploid in plants. Knowledge about the role of phasiRNAs in the inflorescence development of wheat is absent until now, and the evolution of PHAS loci in polyploid plants is also unavailable. Results: Using 261 small RNA expression datasets from various tissues, a batch of PHAS (phasiRNA precursors) loci were identified in the young spike of wheat, most of which were regulated by miR2118 and miR2275 in their target site regions. Dissection of PHAS and their trigger miRNAs among the diploid (AA and DD), tetraploid (AABB) and hexaploid (AABBDD) genomes of Triticum indicated that distribution of PHAS loci were dominant randomly in local chromosomes, while miR2118 was dominant only in the subB genome. The diversity of PHAS loci in the three subgenomes of wheat and their progenitor genomes (AA, DD and AABB) suggested that they originated or diverged at least before the occurrence of the tetraploid AABB genome. The positive correlation between the PHAS loci or the trigger miRNAs and the ploidy of genome indicated the expansion of genome was the major drive force for the increase of PHAS loci and their trigger miRNAs in Triticum . In addition, the expression profiles of the PHAS transcripts suggested they responded to abiotic stresses such as cold stress in wheat. Conclusions: Altogether, non-coding phasiRNAs are conserved transcriptional regulators that display quick plasticity in Triticum genome. They may be involved in reproductive development and abiotic stress in wheat. It could be referred to molecular research on male reproductive development in Triticum .
Prevalence and Measurement of Anxiety and Depression in Working Nurses in Nepal: A Reflection of Professional Hazard in Low Income Nation
Authors: Karki Pramila , Katwal George W. B. J. , Chandra Ayush , Chandra Avinash
Published: January 2020

Background
Anxiety, Depression is one of the under reported, underdiagnosed in Nepal though it is the leading cause of incapacitation and is the leading healthcare burden worldwide. The prevalence of anxiety, depression among health personnel is not reported. In this study we attempted to assess the incidence and impact of depression and anxiety in nurses who are working upfront in different hospitals.
Method
A cross-sectional study and observational analysis was carried out and the sample was collected from nurses working in different hospitals who had spent 6 months or more time as a working nurse in those hospitals. Prevalence of anxiety and depression was assessed using a structured validated questionnaire, The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) with a cut-off score for various levels of anxiety. Similarly, General Anxiety Disorder Questionnaires (GAD), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) was used to assess depression and anxiety.
Result
The analysis of these different scales revealed that disabling anxiety prevailed at highest (43.6%) in nursing staff according to HAM-A scale. Moderate anxiety also seemed to be higher (>20%) in GAD questionnaire. The moderate to severe anxiety prevailed in majority of our study participants in all these scales (HAM-A, HAM-D, GAD). Interestingly, there seemed a strong association between HAM-A to GAD (p=0.008).
Conclusions
This is probably the first study of its kind that reports on the prevalence of anxiety, depression in the nurses who work in different hospitals in Nepal. We hope this study also depicts the mental health problems that the nursing professionals are suffering in other nations as well.
Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, Nurse, Mental Health, Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Quadratus lumborum block versus transversus abdominis plane block for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing abdominal surgeriesA systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Liu Xiancun , Song Tingting , Chen Xuejiao , Zhang Jingjing , Shan Conghui , Chang Liangying , Xu Haiyang
Published: January 2020

Background Abdominal surgery is common and associated with severe postoperative pain. Transverse abdominal plane (TAP) block is considered an effective means for pain control in such cases. Quadratus lumborum (QL) block is another option for the management of postoperative pain. The aim of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis and thereby evaluate the efficacy and safety of QL block and TAP block for pain management after abdominal surgery. Methods We comprehensively searched PubMed, Embase, EBSCO, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science and CNKI for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared QL block and TAP block for pain management in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. All of the data were screened and evaluated by two researchers. RevMan5.3 was applied to perform the meta-analysis. Results A total of 8 RCTs involving564 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed statistically significant differences between the two groups with respect to postoperative pain scores at 2 hours (standardized mean difference [Std.MD]=-1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI]=-2.63 to -0.89; p<.001), 4 hours (Std.MD=-0.77; 95% CI=-1.36 to -0.18; p=.01),6 hours (Std.MD=-1.24; 95% CI=-2.31 to -0.17; p=.02),12 hours (Std.MD=-0.70; 95% CI=-1.27 to -0.13; p=.02) and 24hours (Std.MD=-0.65; 95% CI=-1.29 to -0.02; p=.04) ; postoperative opioid consumption at 24 h (Std.MD=-1.39; 95% CI=-1.83 to -0.95; p<.001); and duration of postoperative analgesia (Std.MD=2.30; 95% CI=1.85 to 2.75; p<.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) incidence (RR=0.55; 95% CI=0.27 to 1.14; p=.11). Conclusion QL block provides better pain management with less opioid consumption than TAP block after abdominal surgery. In addition, there are no differences between TAP block and QL block with respect to PONV.
Analysis of cooking characteristics of important rice varieties marketed in Gujarat State
Authors: Jani Bhavesh L , Devani Bansee M , Akbari Sanjay H , Joshi Dineshchandra C
Published: January 2020

The study was carried out to analyze cooking characteristics of important rice varieties grown and processed in Gujarat state of India. In the study cooking characteristics which are of the most important viz. optimum cooking time, elongation ratio, water uptake ratio, gruel solid loss, pasting temperature and final viscosity were determined by standard methodologies and found to be 17 min, 1.523, 2.6, 4.32%, 91.7 °C and 2558 ± 165.6 cP for parboiled rice, 12 min, 1.356, 2.7, 8.25%, 87.9 °C and 3546 ± 142.3 cP for Jeerasar rice and 14 min, 1.318, 2.8, 10%, 93.9 °C and 1523 ± 179.6 cP for GJ-17 rice, respectively. Also, the size i.e. length, width and thickness of all the three varieties were measured and plotted to observe the trend of expansion after cooking. From the above observations, it was found that parboiled rice has comparatively better cooking characteristics but has higher cooking time, which consumers may not accept for household purpose.
Oil supplementation with a special combination of n-3 and n-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids does not protect for exercise induced asthma. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
Authors: Dreßler Melanie , Fussbroich Daniela , Böhler Lisa , Herrmann Eva , Benker Nicole , Tytyk Markus , Schulze Johannes , Schubert Ralf , Beermann Christopher , Zielen Stefan
Published: January 2020

ObjectiveMany patients suffering from exercise-induced asthma (EIA) have normal lung function at rest and show symptoms and a decline in FEV1 when they do sports or during exercise-challenge. It has been described that long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) could exert a protective effect on EIA.Methods In this study the protective effect of supplementation with a special combination of n-3 and n-6 LCPUFA (sc-LCPUFA) (total 1.19 g/ day) were investigated in an EIA cold air provocation model. Primary outcome measure: Decrease in FEV1 after exercise challenge and secondary outcome measure: anti-inflammatory effects monitored by exhaled NO (eNO) before and after sc-LCPUFA supplementation versus placebo.Results 99 patients with exercise-induced symptoms aged 10 to 45 were screened by a standardized exercise challenge in a cold air chamber at 4 °C. 73 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria of a FEV1 decrease >15% and were treated double-blind placebo-controlled for four weeks either with sc-LCPUFA or placebo. 32 patients in each group completed the study. Mean FEV1 decrease after cold air exercise challenge and eNO were unchanged after four weeks sc-LCPUFA supplementation.Conclusion Supplementation with sc-LCPUFA at a dose of 1.19 g/d did not have any broncho-protective ant anti-inflammatory effects on EIA.
Diversity of active root-associated methanotrophs of three emergent plants in a eutrophic wetland in northern China
Authors: Cui Jing , Zhao Ji , Wang Zheng , Cao Weiwei , Zhang Shaohua , Liu Jumei , Bao Zhihua
Published: January 2020

Root-associated aerobic methanotrophs play an important role in regulating methane emissions from the wetlands. However, the influences of the vegetation type on root-associated methanotrophic structures, especially on active flora, remain poorly understood. Transcription of the pmo A gene, encoding particulate methane monooxygenase in methanotrophs, was analyzed by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) of mRNA isolated from root samples of three emergent macrophytes, including Phragmites australis , Typha angustifolia , and Scirpus triqueter from a eutrophic wetland. High-throughput sequencing of pmo A based on DNA and cDNA was used to analyze the methanotrophic community . Sequencing of cDNA pmo A amplicons confirmed that the structure of active methanotrophic was not always consistent with DNA. A type I methanotroph, M ethylomonas , was the most active group in P. australis , whereas Methylocystis, a type II methanotroph, was the dominant group in S. triqueter . In T. angustifolia , these two types of methanotroph existed in similar proportions. However, at the DNA level, Methylomonas was predominant in the roots of all three plants. In addition, vegetation type could have a profound impact on root-associated methanotrophic community at both DNA and cDNA levels. These results indicate that members of the genera Methylomonas (type I) and Methylocystis (type II) can significantly contribute to aerobic methane oxidation in a eutrophic wetland.
Transcriptomic Profiling of Cotton Leaves in Response to Cotton Aphid Damage
Authors: Yang Yazhen , Zhong Xiao , Feng Pei , Ma Qiqi , Su Qi , Wang Xiangping , Zhang Jianmin
Published: January 2020

Background Cotton aphids (Aphis gossypii Glover) are regarded as one of the most harmful insect pests for cotton production. They are usually capable of causing severe yield loss through sucking cotton liquids, secreting honeydew and transmitting plant viral diseases. However, the molecular mechanism of the interaction between cotton and cotton aphids remains unclear currently. Therefore, the RNA-Seq study of cotton leaves was performed in response to cotton aphid damage at different time points (0 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h).Results A total of 9, 103 new genes were identified, and 7, 510 of them were annotated functionally. Based on the comparison results, the gene expression was analyzed according to the expression amount of genes in different samples. 24,793 differentially expressed genes were authenticated in all and their functional annotation and enrichment analysis were conducted. Compared with 0 h (without aphid damage, CK), the amount of down-regulated DEGs was largely more than that of the up-regulated genes at different time points under cotton aphid attack except for 48h. As revealed by the functional annotation of DEGs, these genes were involved in all kinds of plant biological process, including various resistance to abiotic and biotic stress, hormone metabolism, signaling transduction and transcriptional regulation.Conclusions The results revealed the molecular mechanism of the interaction between cotton and cotton aphids and would facilitate the development of plant aphid resistant cultivars.
Heart Sound Segmentation Based on Personalized Gaussian Mixture Model and Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Xu Chun Dong , Zhou Jing , Ying Dong Wen , Hou Lei Jing , Long Qing Hua
Published: January 2020

Background: Heart sound segmentation is a long-standing problem in heart analysis, and it is mainly caused by noise interference and diversification of heart sounds. Faced with the challenging of heart sound segmentation, a more applicable segmentation model was studied. Methods: In this process, the optimal modified Log-spectral amplitude and wavelet were used to suppress the noise in the heart sound, and used the duration-dependent hidden Markov model based on personalized Gaussian mixture model (PGMM-DHMM) to segment the fundamental heart sound (FHS) and the non-fundamental heart sound (non-FHS). Then used the optimized Mel frequency cepstral coefficient (MFCC) to realize the classification of S1 and S2 heart sound frames through the Convolutional neural network (CNN) classifier, which can avoid the errors caused by the ambiguity of the time domain features. Results: PGMM-DHMM can segment FHS more effectively, and the accuracy is 94.3%. The CNN classifier obtained the best results in the S1 and S2 classifications, the accuracy is 90.92%, the precision of S1 is 90.76%, the recall is 91.05%, the F-measure is 90.9%, and the precision of S2 is 91.07%, the recall is 90.79%, the F-measure is 90.93%. The final segmentation accuracy is 92.92%. In addition, the experimental results further indicate that CNN has more robust performance when classifying abnormal S1 and abnormal S2. Conclusions: The PGMM-DHMM model can better segment FHS and Non-FHS. The optimization of MFCC improves the classification effect of S1 and S2, and the improvement effect by the CNN classifier is significant, especially for abnormal heart sounds. The proposed algorithm is better than other algorithms at this stage.
Electrical acupuncture increases protein synthesis through downregulation of let-7
Authors: Su Zhen , Yu Manshu , Kuma Akihiro , Hassounah Faten , Ma Fuying , Huang Ying , Klein Janet D , Wang Xiaonan H
Published: January 2020

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Factors Associated With Late Presentation to HIV Care Among Patients Attending in Public Hospitals of Mekelle City, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2018/19. Case- Control Study.
Authors: Tesfay Teklay Araya , Aregawi Desta Hailu , Geltu Hiwotea Melese , Gebrekidan Kiros Belay
Published: January 2020

Background The European Late Presenter Consensus Working Group, defines “late presentation” as initial presentation to HIV care with a CD4 cell count of <200 cells/μl. Globally, 36.9 million people were living with HIV, African region remains most severely affected, with nearly 1 in every 25 adults. In 2017, around 940,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide.Methods Hospital based case control study was conducted from Nov 2018-June 2019 in public hospitals of Mekelle city. Using simple random sampling technique 114 cases and 229 controls were included in the study. Data was coded and entered to Statistical Package for Social Science version 23 for data analysis. Variables with p-value<0.25 in bivariate logistic regression were selected for multivariable logistic regression to identify factors of HIV presentation. Odds ratio was estimated with 95% CI to show strength of association and p-value <0.005 was used to declare stastical significance in multivariable analysis. Results was summarized and presented by tables, and charts. Percentage, frequency, standard deviation and mean was calculated.Result The mean age among cases, controls was 39.7(sd + 11.5), 34 (SD+10.2) respectively. Prior HIV related teaching before enrolment to care 3.48(AOR=3.48(1.57-7.70), having symptoms while starting care 3.85(AOR=3.85(1.91-774), presence of chronic illness 4.59(AOR=4.59, 95%CI: 2.17-9.74) and Being challenged during care 1.84(AOR=1.84, 95%CI: 0.13-0.77) were independent predictors of late presentation to HIV care and support.Conclusion and recommendation Prior HIV related teaching before enrolment to care, symptom while starting care, presence of chronic illness and challenge faced during care were significantly associated with late presentation. It is better to give emphasis in providing prior HIV related teaching and cousling.
The impact of parents' health behaviours on their preferences regarding vaccinations
Authors: Kulak Wojciech , Kraśnicka Jolanta , Krajewska-Kułak Elżbieta , Klimaszewska Krystyna , Cybulski Mateusz , Guzowski Andrzej , Lewko Jolanta , Łukaszuk Cecylia , Kowalczuk Krystyna , Doroszkiewicz Halina , Baranowska Anna , Krajewska-Ferishah Katarzyna , Rolka Hanna
Published: January 2020

Background. Health behaviours are very important factors of human life. Currently, as the number of vaccinated children in Poland and throughout Europe is decreasing, parents’ health behaviours may affect the frequency of vaccinations. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of parents’ preferred health behaviours regarding vaccinations.Methods. The study was carried out using a diagnostic survey method with an original questionnaire and the Inventory of Health Behaviours. The study included 300 parents.Results: The level of health behaviours was average in 42.3% of the respondents, low in 33%, and high in 24.7%. Convictions about immunity after contracting a disease, the need to vaccinate for all diseases, the vaccination system, the quality of the vaccines used in Poland, the universal obligation to vaccinate, and the admission of unvaccinated children to crèches and kindergartens were not statistically related to health behaviours. Significant differences in health behaviours, mainly the level of normal eating habits (p = 0.038) and positive mental attitude (p = 0.022), were found in relation to views on the toxicity of vaccines. Participants who reported that vaccines can cause autism engaged in a higher level of prophylactic behaviours. Respondents who vaccinated their children with combined vaccines had a significantly higher level of health practices. Significant or near-significant differences in health behaviour levels in various areas were found between those who sought the recommended vaccinations and those who did not.Conclusions: The health behaviour levels of the majority of the respondents were average, and the most frequent category was "positive mental attitude.” Parents who believed in the toxicity of vaccines were more concerned about proper nutrition, had a positive mental attitude, and engaged in a higher level of preventive behaviours and health practices. Parents who did not vaccinate their children had lower levels of normal eating habits. Parents who vaccinated their children with additional vaccines had a higher level of health behaviours, especially in terms of health practices.
Genetic diversity analysis and the genetic fingerprinting of 33 DUS test standard tobacco varieties
Authors: He Binbin , Geng Ruimei , Cheng Lirui , Yang Xianbin , Ge Hongmei , Ren Min
Published: January 2020

BackgroundAt present, the distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS) test of tobacco varieties still depends on the field phenotype identification, lack of simple and reliable molecular marker technology. To improve the efficiency and reliability of the identification of tobacco varieties, a molecular marker-based method was developed for the DUS test of tobacco varieties.ResultsIn total, 91 simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers with clear, polymorphic amplification bands were obtained, with polymorphism information content, Nei’s index, and Shannon’s information index values of 0.3603, 0.4040, and 0.7228, respectively. Clustering analysis showed that the 33 study varieties could all be distinguished from each other. Further analysis showed that a minimum of 25 markers was required to reveal the genetic diversity of these varieties. Following the principle of two markers per linkage group, 48 pairs of SSR markers were selected. Correlation analysis showed that the genetic relationships revealed by the 48 SSR markers were consistent with those found using the 91 SSR markers.ConclusionsGenetic fingerprints of the 33 study varieties were constructed using 48 SSR markers, and an SSR marker-based identification technique for new tobacco varieties was developed. This study provides a reliable technological approach for determining the novelty of new tobacco varieties and offers a solid technical basis for the accreditation and protection of new tobacco varieties.
Integrated analyses of early responses to radiation in glioblastoma identify new alterations in RNA processing and candidate targets to improve treatment outcomes
Authors: Choudhary Saket , Burns Suzanne , Mirsafian Hoda , LI Whenzheng , Vo Dat , Mei Qiao , Smith Andrew , Penalva Luiz
Published: January 2020

BackgroundHigh-dose radiation is the main component of glioblastoma therapy. Unfortunately, radio-resistance is a common problem and a major contributor to tumor relapse. Understanding the molecular mechanisms driving response to radiation is critical for identifying regulatory routes that could be targeted to improve treatment response. Methods: We conducted an integrated analysis in the U251 and U343 glioblastoma cell lines to map early alterations in the expression of genes at three levels: transcription, splicing, and translation in response to ionizing radiation. ResultsChanges at the transcriptional level were the most prevalent response. Downregulated genes are strongly associated with cell cycle and DNA replication and linked to a coordinated module of expression. Alterations in this group are likely driven by decreased expression of the transcription factor FOXM1 and members of the E2F family. Genes involved in RNA regulatory mechanisms were affected at the mRNA, splicing, and translation levels, highlighting their importance in radiation-response. We identified a number of oncogenic factors, with an increased expression upon radiation exposure, including BCL6, RRM2B, IDO1, FTH1, APIP, and LRIG2 and lncRNAs NEAT1 and FTX. Several of these targets have been previously implicated in radio- resistance. Therefore, antagonizing their effects post-radiation could increase therapeutic efficacy. ConclusionsOur integrated analysis provides a comprehensive view of early response to radiation in glioblastoma. We identify new biological processes involved in altered expression of various oncogenic factors and suggest new target options to increase radiation sensitivity and prevent relapse.
KRAS and BRAF Mutations as survival prognostic factors for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer patients after Lung metastasectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Shahramian Iraj , Parooie Fateme , salarzaei morteza
Published: January 2020

Introduction While knowledge has grown extensively regarding the impact of mutations on colorectal cancer prognosis, their role in outcomes after pulmonary metastasectomy (PM) remains minimally understood. Therefore, in this paper, we conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of retrospective and prospective studies to evaluate whether KRAS or BRAF mutation status can be independent predictors in colorectal cancer patients undergoing complete lung metastasis surgery.Methods A systematic literature review was performed to identify articles reporting overall survival (OS) of patients who underwent lung metastasectomy for colorectal cancer lung metastases (CRLM), stratified according to KRAS and BRAF mutational status. Hazard ratios (HRs) from multivariate analyses were pooled in the meta-analysis.Results 9 studies, including 1833 patients, were eligible for the meta-analysis. Based on the random effect model, the total frequency of KRAS mutations in 1305 patients who had undergone the lung metastasectomy was 45% and the total 5-year OS in these patients was 55.7%. five of them reported OS stratified according to KRAS mutation. The pooled analysis revealed that KRAS mutation was negatively associated with OS (HR, 1.674; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.341-2.089; P < .001). the rate of KRAS mutations were lower in the studies with higher male to female ratio. There was statistically significant linear trend in univariate meta-regression to explain effect size variation by male to female ratio of study with coefficient = 0.47 (95% CI 0.03, 0.91), P = 0.03. disease free survival (DFS), thoracic metastases and origin of primary tumor were significantly influenced by KRAS mutation status.Conclusions Our meta-analysis confirms the KRAS mutation as a strong and predictive biomarker which makes overall survival lower in patients with colorectal cancer undergoing pulmonary metastasis surgery. Certainly, this interesting evidence represents the first step towards a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor behavior and patient outcomes in a subgroup of clinically selected colorectal cancer patients. By considering tumor molecular characteristics and other clinical-pathological factors, our results confirm the use of new therapeutic models to predict outcomes of patients undergoing colorectal lung metastasis surgery and to isolate both systemic and loco-regional treatment strategies.
Comparing VBM and ROI Analyses for Detection of Gray Matter Abnormalities in Patients with Bipolar Disorder using MRI
Authors: Seyedi Seyedehsomayyeh , Jafari Raheleh , Talaei Ali , Naseri Shahrokh , Momennezhad Mahdi , Moghaddam Maliheh Dadgar , Akbari-Lalimi Hossein
Published: January 2020

Background: With the increasing efforts to a better understanding of psychiatric diseases, detection of brain morphological alterations are necessary. This study compared two methods-voxel based morphometry (VBM) and region of interest (ROI) analyses- to identify significant gray matter changes of patients with bipolar disorder type I (BP I).
Methods: The structural MRI were obtained in a total of 50 subjects (25 healthy subjects with a mean age of 34.48±8.32 years as a control group and 25 patients with a mean age of 37.68±10.88 years). We compared the gray matter alteration results obtained by VBM analysis using the DARTEL approach with those obtained using ROI analysis which applies three probabilistic brain atlases namely, hammers, lpba40, and neuromorphometrics atlases. All analyses were conducted via the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) implemented in Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM12) software package.
Results: The VBM findings suggested that gray matter reductions in left precentral and right precuneus of the patients compared to healthy subjects(α=0.0005, uncorrected). However, No regions reached the level of significance in ROI analysis using the three atlases (α=0.0005).
Conclusion: It can be concluded that VBM analysis seems to be more sensitive to partial changes in this study. If ROI analysis is employed in studies to detect structural brain alterations between groups, it is highly recommended to use VBM analysis besides.
Keywords: Voxel-Based Morphometry; ROI Analysis; bipolar disorder; MRI; brain.