bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk factors of death in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients: a retrospective multi- center study
Authors: Salehi Mohammadreza , Mohammadi Mohammad-Taghi Beig , Abtahi Seyed Hamidreza , Ghazi Samrand-Fattah , Sobati Abolfazl , Bozorgmehr Rama , Manshadi Seyed Ali Dehghan , Siahkali Saeed Reza Jamali , Mohammadi Mostafa , Badie Banafsheh Moradmand , Rahimi Ensiyeh
Published: March 2022

Introduction: Despite the improvement in COVID-19 therapeutic management the mortality of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients remains high. In this study, we determined risk factors of mortality in these cases. Methods: This retrospective study examined clinical and paraclinical data of COVID-19 patients mechanically ventilated at the time of hospitalization to ICU admission until death or discharge from hospital between April and September in 2021 in three COVID-19 referral hospitals. Results: One hundred twenty-five patients (60% male, mean age 62 ± 15.18, range 17 to 97 years old) were recruited to this study. 51(40%) survived and 74 (60%) didn’t survive. At the time of hospital admission, the vital signs were not significantly different between the survivors and non-survivors groups, also diarrhea was not reported in non-survivors, but reported in 9.5% of survivors (P = 0.02). The mean age of 74 non-survivors was higher than 51 survivors (65.1 ± 14.17 vs 56.9 ± 15.41, P = 0.003). The intubation time since the patients were admitted to hospitals was not significantly different between the two groups (3.38 ± 2.88 days vs 4.16 ± 3.42 days, P = 0.34). The mean LDH and D-dimer at the time of ICU admission were significantly higher in the non-survivors group (863 ± 449 vs 613 ± 326, P = 0.01; 4081 ± 3342 vs 542 ± 634, P = 0.009; respectively). However, the mean CRP was not significantly different between the two groups (76 ± 66.4, 54 ± 84.3; P = 0.1). Mean APACHE-II score was higher in the non-survivors than the survivors (15 vs 13; P = 0.01). Use of remdesivir, interfrone beta-1a, and low dose corticosteroids were significantly higher in the survivors group (P = 0.009, P = 0.001, P = 0.000). Conclusion: Success of weaning and hospital discharge among mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients are probably higher in younger patients with lower D-dimmer and LDH levels that received low dose corticosteroids during treatment.
Long-term patient satisfaction and removal rate after Essure sterilization: a follow-up study
Authors: Andrić Branka Žegura , Rosič Maja , Serdinšek Tamara , Šumak Rok
Published: March 2022

Background: The objective of our study was to assess the rate and causes for Essure® micro-insert system removal and patients’ long term satisfaction rate with the procedure.Methods: All patients who underwent Essure® hysteroscopic sterilization at our tertiary centre between years 2007 and 2018 were included in this follow-up study. A questionnaire was sent to all patients per standard mail. Patients who did not respond to questionnaires per mail, were called by phone. The satisfaction with the Essure® sterilization, as well as any additional procedures after the insertion or insertion-related complications were analysed. Results: From the year 2007 to 2018, we performed 427 Essure® hysteroscopic sterilizations and of these, 329 patients responded to the questionnaire (response rate 77%). Ten patients (3%) had Essure® removal, two of them due to pain (0.6%). Patients were very satisfied with the procedure (9.5 on scale 0 – 10). Most patients (95.3%) would recommend the procedure to their friend.Conclusions: The rate of the Essure® micro-insert system removal due to sterilization-related complications is very low. Essure® hysteroscopic sterilization is a safe and effective procedure with a very high satisfaction rate.Trial registration: Institutional review board approval was obtained for the study, approval number UKC-MB-KME-73/19.
Comparison of Sinusoidal Vision Trifocal Intraocular Lens(IOL) with Monofocal Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) IOL After Cataract Surgery
Authors: Arslan Mahmut erkam , DURU Necati
Published: March 2022

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the clinical results of sinusoidal vision trifocal intraocular lens (IOL) (AcrivaUD Trinova) and monofocal extended depth of focus (EDOF) IOL (Tecnis Eyhance ICB00) Methods: This study included 98 eyes of 65 patients implanted with sinusoidal vision trifocal IOL and 79 eyes of 53 patients implanted with monofocal EDOF IOL. The following were evaluated; Uncorrected distance(UDVA), intermediate (UIVA), near visual acuity (UNVA), corrected distance(CDVA), intermediate(CIVA) , near visual acuity (CNVA), halo, glare, ocular aberrations, contrast sensitivity. In addition, The National Eye Institute 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ 25) results of patients were analysed.Results: Three months postoperatively, there were no differences between the groups in terms of UDVA and UIVA(respectively, p=0.780 and p=0.317). Near vision was found to be better for the Trinova group than for the Eyhance group(p<0.001). Trinova IOL provided better contrast sensitivity at all spatial frequencies than Eyhance IOL (p<0,001). Halo perception was reported for only six eyes, all of which were in the Trinova group (6.9%). Glare perception was found to be more common in the Trinova group (15 eyes(17.2%)), than in the Eyhance group(four eyes(5.3%)). With regard to the composite score of NEI-VFQ 25, no significant difference was found between the groups. In the analyses of subgroups, the near activities score was higher in the Trinova group, but distance activities and driving scores were higher in the Eyhance group (p=0.201).Conclusion: Both lenses have been shown to have satisfactory levels of distance and intermediate vision, with high levels of patient satisfaction.
Development and validation of a predictive model to identify the established labor
Authors: Fumagalli Simona , Antolini Laura , Cosmai Greta , Gramegna Teresa , Nespoli Antonella , Pedranzini Astrid , Colciago Elisabetta , Valsecchi Maria Grazia , Vergani Patrizia , Locatelli Anna
Published: March 2022

BackgroundThe diagnosis of the established labor is a crucial clinical decision, and it requires an accurate midwifery assessment. Regular uterine contractions and a cervical dilatation of 4-6 cm are commonly considered to diagnose active labor with a lack of knowledge regarding the role of maternal signs. This study aimed to build and to validate a predictive model based on maternal signs and symptoms to identify a cervical dilatation ³4 . MethodsA prospective observational study was conducted from May to September 2018 in a II Level Maternity Unit (development data), and from May to September 2019 in a I Level Maternity Unit (validation data). Singleton, at term pregnant women with cephalic presentation and presence of uterine activity were enrolled consecutively at the maternity triage or at the antenatal ward during the initial assessment to diagnose the stage of labor. Women <18 years old, with language barrier and induction of labor were excluded. During the assessment midwife observed features of contractions (rhythm, frequency and duration) and 8 specific maternal signs. A nomogram for the calculation of the predictions of cervical dilatation ³ 4 on the ground of 11 maternal signs and symptoms was obtained from a multivariate logistic regression model. The model predictive performance was investigated by internal and external validation. Results288 assessments were analyzed (216 for development data). In the final logistic regression model “Rhythm” (OR 6.26), “Duration” (OR 8.15) of contractions and “show” (OR 4.29) had a significant impact on increasing the probability of a cervical dilatation ³ 4 cm. The area under the ROC curve in the model with only uterine activity was 0.865 (development data) and 0.927 (validation data), with an increment to 0.905 and 0.956, respectively when adding maternal signs. ConclusionOur predictive model based on maternal signs and symptoms has a good performance and could be useful in clinical practice. This may improve the quality of midwifery care, avoiding medicalization, aiming to promote a positive experience of childbirth.
Patient care via video consultations: piloting and S.W.O.T. analysis of a family medicine digitally synchronous seminar for medical students
Authors: Särchen Franziska , Springborn Susanne , Mortsiefer Achim , Ehlers Jan
Published: March 2022

Background: Video consultations can complement primary care patient care, but they can also pose challenges for the physicians involved. A need exists to familiarize medical students with the specifics of video consultations. This paper presents the concept and testing of a digitally synchronous distance seminar in which medical students practice and work through the performance of video consultations as an aid to family physicians activity in a patient-oriented manner. The aim of the evaluation was to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (S.W.O.T.) of the teaching concept.Methods:Within the seminar, 12 students carried out video consultations independently under medical supervision, observed the conversations of their fellow students and processed the experiences in the group. The seminar consisted of two elements: A) The whole group of students and teachers was video consulted in a family practice. B) A small group performed a videoconsultation with connection to the home environment of a patient.The evaluation by the students was done by two questionnaires (pre/post), which were analyzed with descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. The S.W.O.T. analysis was elaborated by the author team based on the results of the questionnaires and interviews with the teachers.Results:The students learned the limits and possibilities of teleconsultations and deepened their family medical knowledge. The pilot project has strengthened the interest in video consultations among many participants. Patient contact and focused work were seen as strengths of the tested learning model. Above all, technical difficulties and the time required were mentioned as weaknesses. The seminar should also be held after the COVID-19 pandemic. It would bring the chance to involve especially students with multiple workloads in patient teaching. The risks lie in the fact that it still has to be integrated into the curriculum and there are few personnel resources for the organization.Conclusions:The learning model familiarizes medical students with competences in family medical patient care using video communication. Various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threads of the learning concept can be weighted differently. Hereby, project groups can decide individually if they want to integrate the learning concept in their curriculum and which further improvements are necessary.
Effect of Nitrogen Functional Groups on Competitive Adsorption Between Toluene and Water Vapor Onto Activated Carbon
Authors: Li Jinjin , Cheng Tangying , Ma Xiuwei , Hou xueyan , Wu Hao , Yang Linjun
Published: March 2022

To elucidate the effect of nitrogen functional groups on toluene adsorption under humid conditions, a series of N-doped resorcinol-formaldehyde resin-based activated carbons (HNRCs) using g-C3N4 as the nitrogen source were prepared, which possessed different N contents (1.29–6.14%) and similar O contents, named HRC, HNRC1, HNRC3 and HNRC5, respectively. In this study, breakthrough experiments of toluene were conducted and the results showed that under RH50%, the saturated adsorption capacity towards toluene agreed with the BET surface area and micropore volume. Nevertheless, the normalized adsorption capacity of samples was consistent with N content. Moreover, the adsorption isotherms of toluene and water vapor were analyzed, displaying that nitrogen functional groups can not only contribute to the adsorption of toluene but also improve the hydrophobicity of carbon surface, especially graphitic N. Temperature programmed desorption experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations further demonstrated that the introduction of N can help to enhance the competitive adsorption of toluene from water vapor. This is because the N functional groups can enhance the π-π interaction between toluene and the carbon surface by facilitating the polarization of π electrons. Meanwhile, N functional groups can weaken the van der Waals interaction between the carbon surface and water vapor. This study would provide the theoretical hints to develop the VOCs adsorbents in the presence of water vapor.
The High-volume Haemodiafiltration vs High-flux Haemodialysis Registry Trial (H4RT): a multi-centre, unblinded, randomised, parallel-group, superiority study to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of high-volume haemodiafiltration and high-flux haemodialysis in people with kidney failure on maintenance dialysis using linkage to routine healthcare databases for outcomes.
Authors: Caskey Fergus J , Procter Sunita , MacNeill Stephanie , Wade Julia , Taylor Jodi , Rooshenas Leila , Liu Yumeng , Annaw Ammar , Alloway Karen , Davenport Andrew , Power Albert , Farrington Ken , Mitra Sandip , Wheeler David C , Law Kristian , Lewis-White Helen , Ben-Shlomo Yoav , Hollingworth Will , Donovan Jenny , Lane J Athene
Published: March 2022

Background
More than a third of the 65,000 people living with kidney failure in the UK attend a dialysis unit 2–5 times a week to have their blood cleaned for 3–5 hours. In haemodialysis (HD) toxins are removed by diffusion, which can be enhanced using a high-flux dialyser. This can be augmented with convection, as occurs in haemodiafiltration (HDF) and improved outcomes have been reported in people who are able to achieve high volumes of convection. This study compares the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of high-volume HDF compared with high-flux HD in the treatment of kidney failure.
Methods
This is a UK-based, multi-centre, non-blinded randomised controlled trial. Adult patients already receiving HD or HDF will be randomised 1:1 to high-volume HDF (aiming for 21 + L of substitution fluid adjusted for body surface area) or high-flux HD. Exclusion criteria include lack of capacity to consent, life expectancy less than 3 months, on HD/HDF for less than 4 weeks, planned living kidney donor transplant or home dialysis scheduled within 3 months, prior intolerance of HDF, and not suitable for high-volume HDF for other clinical reasons. The primary outcome is a composite of non-cancer mortality or hospital admission with a cardiovascular event or infection during follow-up (minimum 32 months, maximum 91 months) determined from routine data. Secondary outcomes include all-cause mortality, cardiovascular and infection related morbidity and mortality, health-related quality of life, cost-effectiveness and environmental impact. Baseline data will be collected by research personnel on-site. Follow up data will be collected by linkage to routine healthcare databases – Hospital Episode Statistics, Civil Registration, Public Health England, and the UK Renal Registry (UKRR) in England, and equivalent databases in Scotland and Wales, as necessary – and centrally administered patient completed questionnaires. In addition, research personnel on-site will monitor for adverse events and collect data on adherence to the protocol (monthly during recruitment and quarterly during follow-up).
Discussion
This study will provide evidence of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of HD as compared to HDF for adults with kidney failure in-centre HD or HDF. It will inform management for this patient group in the UK and internationally.
Trial registration:
ISRCTN10997319. Registered on 10th October 2017.
Comparative Analysis of Anatomical, Phytochemical and Molecular Genetic Characteristics of Two Species of Hedysaruml.
Authors: Kusmangazinov A.B. , Kurmanbayeva Meruyert Sakenovna , Zharkova I.M. , Sarkytbayeva A. K. , Kayirbekov T.K. , Hohn M.
Published: March 2022

Background
Hedysarum L. is one of the large families of the Fabaceae, consisting of 200 species. Species in the genus Hedysarum are valuable forage and medicinal resources. In this paper we studied Hedysarum theinum Krasnob. and Hedysarum neglectum Ledeb. growing in the Western Altai of Eastern Kazakhstan. H.theinum is a perennial, herbaceous, valuable medicinal plant, a rare high-altitude species, an Altai-Dzungarian endemic and globally endangered species. H. neglectum is a perennial plant of high medicinal and fodder value, growing mainly in the sub-alpine zone. A complex phytochemical study of Hedysarum using modern methods, expanding the data on herbal medicines is actual. At the current time, taxonomic and phylogenetic questions of the genus Hedysarum are the subject of close attention, as the systematic knowledge of the genus Hedysarum L. Fabaceae: Hedysareae is still incomplete. Therefore, questions are being actively addressed by correlating data obtained by molecular genetic analyses. In the study, route-recognition methods were used in a field search of two species of Hedysarum for comparative morphological study in 2020–2021.
Results
The morphological measurements showed a difference in the external structure of the two species. Structural changes in the anatomical structure of the leaf, stem and root were analyzed as the plants adapted to different conditions in the Western Altai. The changes were expressed in the transition from the typical dorsiventral leaf structure of H.theinum to the isolateral-palisade structure of the mesophyll of H.neglectum. The phytochemical analysis revealed the highest amount of ethyl α-d glucopyranoside at 45.23% in the subterranean part of H. theinum, which was only 0.8% in H. neglectum. The root part of H. theinum contained the highest vitamin E content of 11.36%, while the above-ground part of H. neglectum showed an insignificant amount of tocopherol at 0.37%. Also the above-ground and underground parts of the two species contain squalene, which has an antioxidant effect and strengthens the immune system. Nowadays, an urgent task in pharmacognosy is the use of all kinds of DNA analysis methods for the identification of plant raw materials. In this regard, the possibility of using molecular genetic methods of research in the analysis of representatives of the genus Hedysarum L., for the identification of medicinal plant raw materials was studied.
Conclusion
Phylogenetic analysis using molecular genetic markers revealed that H. neglectum and H. theinum belong to the Hedysarum section. The data obtained can be used for the species identification of H.theinum and H.neglectum, which has so far been difficult due to the lack of some systematic morphological characters. The results obtained may be useful for the taxonomic studies of this section.
Male Origin Microchimerism and Brain Cancer: a Case-cohort Study
Authors: Kamper-Jørgensen Mads , Jakobsen Marianne Antonius , Tjønneland Anne , Skjøth-Rasmussen Jane , Petersen Gitte Lindved , Hallum Sara
Published: March 2022

Background: Despite considerable research effort, causes of brain cancer are largely unknown. Male BC predominance and reduced brain cancer risk with increasing parity among women, however, support a favourable role of pregnancy. We set out to determine whether peripheral male origin microchimerism, namely the presence of circulating male origin cells, likely obtained via natural trafficking across the placenta during pregnancy, associates with reduced risk of brain cancer in women.Methods: Using a case-cohort design, we sampled 505 middle aged women randomly at baseline in the Diet, Cancer and Health cohort (controls), and 73 women with incident brain cancer diagnosed during follow-up in the Danish Cancer Registry (cases). Male origin microchimerism was determined by presence of Y chromosome sequences in female blood samples. Data was analysed using weighted proportional Hazards regression, yielding Hazard Ratios with 95% confidence intervals.Results: Compared with male origin microchimerism negative women, positive women had half the risk of developing brain cancer (Hazard Ratio=0.50 [0.33-0.77]). Sensitivity analyses support that our findings are unlikely due to bias or chance.Conclusion: Here, for the first time we demonstrate half the risk of brain cancer in male origin microchimerism positive compared with negative women. Our findings resemble those of previous studies of male origin microchimerism and other female cancers.
Long Term Longitudinal Follow up of AD-HIES Cohort: Impact of Early Diagnosis and Enrolment to IPINet Centres on Natural History of Job Syndrome
Authors: Carrabba Maria , Dellepiane Rosa Maria , Cortesi Manuela , Baselli Lucia Augusta , Soresina Annarosa , Cirillo Emilia , Giardino Giuliana , Conti Francesca , Dotta Laura , Finocchi Andrea , Cancrini Caterina , Milito Cinzia , Pacillo Lucia , Cinicola Bianca Laura , Cossu Fausto , Consolini Rita , Montin Davide , Quinti Isabella , Pession Andrea , Fabio Giovanna , Pignata Claudio , Pietrogrande Maria Cristina , Badolato Raffaele
Published: March 2022

The Job Syndrome or Autosomal Dominant Hyper Immunoglobulin E Syndrome (AD-HIES, LOF-STAT3 gene) is a very rare inborn error of immunity disorder with multi-organ involvement and long-life post-infective damages. Longitudinal registries are of main importance to improve knowledge on natural history and management of these rare disorders. This study aims to describe the natural history of 30 Italian patients recorded in the IPINet registry with AD-HIES, with a cumulative observational-time of 721.1 patient-years. Age at disease onset was < 12 months in the 66.7% of patients, but the mean time of diagnostic delay was 13.7 years. At diagnosis skin involvement was present in 93.3% of patients (eczema 80.8%, abscess 66.7%). At the follow up eczema was still present in 63.3% and abscess in 56.7%. Respiratory complications such as bronchiectasis and pneumatoceles were present at diagnosis in the 46.7% and 43.3% respectively. Antimicrobial prophylaxis resulted in decrease of pneumonia from 76.7–46.7%. Antifungal prophylaxis decreased mucocutaneous candidiasis occurrence from 70–56.7%. In the course of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, seven patients developed COVID-19. Survival analyses showed that 27 out of 30 patients are still alive, while three patients died at age of 28, 39 and 46 as consequence of lungs bleeding, lymphoma and sepsis, respectively. Our study shows that many severe complications can affect AD-HIES patients. Analysis of a cumulative follow-up of 278.7 patient-years has shown that early diagnosis, adequate management at expertise centres for primary immunodeficiency, prophylactic antibiotic and antifungal therapy improve outcome and can positively influence patients’ life expectancy.
A retrospective analysis of the efficacy of endoscopic variceal ligation versus endoscopic tissue adhesive injection in the treatment of esophagogastric variceal bleeding
Authors: Liu Wei , Xu Linxia , Xu Feng , Wang Jianchao , Deng Min , Zheng Hailun , Ma Zhenzeng , Xue Yongju , Wang Qizhi , Ke Xiquan
Published: March 2022

Objective
To investigate the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) and endoscopic tissue adhesive injection (TAI) in the treatment of esophagogastric variceal bleeding.
Methods
245 patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding attending the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from December 2017 to June 2021 were retrospectively collected and divided into 103 patients in the esophageal EVL(E-EVL) + gastric EVL(G-EVL) group and 142 patients in the E-EVL + gastric TAI(G-TAI) group according to the procedure, comparing and assessing the clinical characteristics, laboratory results, operation time, rebleeding rate, efficacy, and complications in the two groups.
Results
The diameter of the varicose veins and the operative time were significantly less in the E-EVL + G-EVL group than in the E-EVL + G-TAI group (p < 0.05), there was no statistical difference in the length of stay in hospital between the two groups (p > 0.05). The total rebleeding rate in the E-EVL + G-EVL group was 9.7%; the total rebleeding rate in the E-EVL + G-TAI group was 11.9%, and there was no statistical difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The overall effective rate of the E-EVL + G-EVL group was 90.21%; the overall effective rate of the E-EVL + G-TAI group was 92.81%, and there was no statistical difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The postoperative ulcer in the E-EVL + G-EVL group were smaller and more superficial than those in the E-EVL + G-TAI group, and the wound surface was smoother.
Conclusion
Both endoscopic variceal ligation and endoscopic tissue adhesive injection have good therapeutic effects on esophagogastric variceal bleeding, and gastric endoscopic variceal ligation is worthy of further clinical promotion because of its effectiveness in preventing re-bleeding, no reduction in efficacy and no increase in complications, shortened operative time, smaller and superficial ulcer and smoother wounds.
Nonmonotone invasion landscape by engineered control of metastasis activator levels
Authors: Wan Yiming , Cohen Joseph , Szenk Mariola , Farquhar Kevin , Nest Nicholas Van , Smashnov Alex , Chern Yi-Jye , Bien Harold , Chan Chia-Hsin , Balázsi Gábor
Published: March 2022

A major pharmacological goal is targeting oncogenic transcription factors, by the assumption that lowering disease-promoting protein levels is generally beneficial. For example, inhibiting metastasis activator BACH1 is proposed to decrease metastasis in human cancers. Testing such assumptions requires measuring disease phenotypes while precisely adjusting disease-promoting protein levels, which is not routinely available. Here we develop a strategy to insert protein-level tuning synthetic gene circuits into the same genomic locus of human cell lines. Unexpectedly, the invasiveness of engineered MDA-MB-231 metastatic breast cell increases and then decreases while tuning BACH1 levels up. BACH1 expression-shifts in invading cells, and expression of BACH1’s direct target RKIP confirm BACH1’s nonmonotone phenotypic and regulatory effects. Thus, inhibiting BACH1 can be harmful and promoting BACH1, beneficial. Additionally, BACH1’s expression variability aids invasion at high BACH1 expression. Overall, precisely engineered protein level control is necessary and sufficient to unravel disease effects of genes, thereby improving the efficiency of drug development.
Evaluation of the Factors Affect Vision Related Quality of Life and Level of Depression in the Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Dogan Levent , Tanriverdi Derya , Gungor Kıvanc
Published: March 2022

Purpose: To determine the effect of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on Vision Related Quality of Life (VRQOL) and depression level.Method: 54 patients followed up or newly diagnosed with AMD in Ophthalmology Clinic at Gaziantep University had been included in this cross-sectional study. The Turkish version of the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire-25 (NEI VFQ-25) and Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15) were assessed to the patients. The results of these two questionnaires were evaluated according to the demographic findings of the patients, the severity and treatment procedures of the AMD. Results: The scores obtained from subscales varied from 43,48 for ‘Near activities’ to 81,48 for ‘Color vision’ subscales in NEI VFQ-25 test. According to the results of GDS-15 questionnaire, we detected that 63% of all the patients compatible with depression when the cut-off value was accepted as ‘5’. Intravitreal anti-VEGF injection as a treatment procedure had no correlation with depression (p>0.05).Conclusion: The lowest and highest scores had been obtained in ‘Near activities’ and ‘Color vision’ respectively. The patients with AMD had higher depression level. The female AMD patients had higher rates of depression and lower visual acuity levels.
YWHAG promotes gastric cancer proliferation and migration via PI3K/AKT pathway
Authors: Yanmei Gu , Daijun Wang , Xiaomei Li , Yingying Wang , Meixia Deng , Li Yumin
Published: March 2022

Background: The influence of tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein gamma (YWHAG) remains unknown in gastric cancer (GC). We investigated biological effects of YWHAG on GC and clarified the potential molecular mechanisms.Methods: YWHAG expression in GC was assessed by immunohistochemistry, followed by correlation analysis. GC cells of YWHAG knockdown and overexpression­ were constructed by lentivirus transfection. Cell viability of growth was evaluated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and the 5-ethyny-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays. Cell cycle and apoptosis were conducted. The following migration and invasion analysis were detected by wound-healing and trans-well assays. The role of YWHAG in vivo was revealed by xenograft models. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and western blotting were applied for the potential pathways. Results: YWHAG was elevated in GC (p<0.05), and closely related to differentiation degree. The study demonstrated that YWHAG knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) of GC cells and decelerated the growth of xenograft tumors, while YWHAG overexpression reversed the effects. Consistent with the results of GSEA, YWHAG activated PI3K/AKT pathway. Conclusions: YWHAG can promote proliferation and migration of GC, which might be related to the cell cycle, EMT and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
Nectarine Disease Detection based on Color Features and Label Sparse Dictionary Learning with Hyperspectral Images
Authors: miao ronghui , Jinlong Wu , Hua Yang , Fenghua Huang
Published: March 2022

Fruit cracking and rust spot are common diseases of nectarine which would seriously affect its yield and quality. Therefore, it is essential to construct disease detection models for agricultural products with high speed and accuracy. In this paper, a sparse dictionary learning method was proposed to realize the rapid and nondestructive detection of nectarine disease based on the multiple color features combined with the improved K-SVD (K-Singular Value Decomposition). According to the color characteristics of nectarine itself and the significant color differences existing in the three categories of nectarine (diseased, normal and background parts), multiple color spaces of RGB, HSV, Lab and YCbCr were studied. It was concluded that the G channel in RGB space, Y channel in YCbCr space and L channel in Lab space can better distinguish the diseased part from the other parts. At the model training stage, pixels of the diseased, normal and background parts in the nectarine image were randomly selected as the initial training sets, then the neighborhood image block of the pixels were selected to construct the feature vectors based on the above color space channels. An improved LK-SVD (Label K-SVD) dictionary learning algorithm was proposed that integrating the category label into the process of dictionary learning, then an over-complete feature dictionary with significant discrimination was obtained. At the model testing stage, orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm was used to sparse reconstruction the original data which can obtain the classification categories based on the optimized feature dictionary. Experimental results show that the sparse dictionary learning method based on multi-color features combined with improved LK-SVD can detect fruit cracking and rust spot diseases of nectarine quickly and accurately, and the average overall classification accuracies were 92.06% and 88.98% respectively, which was better than k-nearest neighbor (KNN) and support vector machine (SVM). It is demonstrated that this study can provide technical support for the diseases detection of agricultural products.
Feasibility Study of Functional Movement Screening in Drug Abuse Population
Authors: Yan Hanhui , Wang Jingsong , Guo Yin , Tan Jun , Lu Chunxia , Liu Yi , Zhang Jun , Zheng Lan
Published: March 2022

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of functional movement screening (FMS) in drug abuse patients and to evaluate the relationship between functional motor ability and age, sex and drug type. Methods: Random sampling was used to include 886 drug abusers from 5 provinces. The FMS test was conducted on 886 patients in compulsory isolation drug rehabilitation centers in five provinces of China, and the statistics were calculated. Results: The FMS scores of the psychotropic drugs group were all lower than that of the narcotic drugs group, especially in the core stability items (P < 0.01). Men scored higher than women in core stability and lower than women in flexibility. The seven FMS scores of the 30-34 years old group were lower than those of 35-49 years old and 40-44 years old groups, respectively. The total FMS scores were significantly correlated with gender (r=0.198, P < 0.01), age (r=0.161, P < 0.01) and drug type (r=0.283, P < 0.01).Conclusions: The application of FMS in the drug abuse population is viable, and drug type, sex and age can be used to predict the FMS composite score.
Evaluation and Projections of Surface Air Temperature over the Tibetan Plateau from CMIP6 and CMIP5: Warming Trend and Uncertainty
Authors: Zhou Minpei , Yu Zhongbo , Gu Huanghe , Ju Qin , Gao Yiyan , Wen Lei , Huang Tangkai
Published: March 2022

This paper compares the historical simulations and future projections of surface air temperature over the Tibetan Plateau of the updated Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase (CMIP6) and the precedent phase of the project (CMIP5) to quantify differences in the projections under different scenarios. Model evaluation for the historical period (1961-2005) indicates that the multi-model ensemble (MME) mean of CMIP6 outperforms CMIP5 MME in simulating spatial-temporal characteristics of surface air temperature. The temperature changes relative to 1986-2005 are projected in the near-term (2021-2040), mid-term (2041-2060), and long-term (2081-2100) future under Shared Socio-economic Pathway (SSP)2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 of CMIP6 and Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)4.5 and RCP8.5 of CMIP5. The projected temperature shows larger increases in the long-term compared with the near-term and mid-term under both SSPs and RCPs. CMIP6 MME projects higher temperature changes and accelerated warming trends relative to CMIP5 MME. Additionally, the temperature increases and warming rates show a significant elevation dependency, especially in the long-term. The uncertainty for future projections is quantified by the square root of error variance (SREV) method. The results record a clear reduction in the uncertainty of CMIP6 temperature relative to CMIP5 primarily concentrated at the elevation zones of over 5,000 m. The analysis of the projected temperature over the Tibetan Plateau is of great significance for policy-makers to make socio-economic adjustments for the future warming. This study is conducive to the credibility of future temperature projections for CMIP6 and enhances our comprehension of the uncertainty of SSP and RCP scenarios.
Green Synthesis Approach For Preparing Zeolite Based Co-Cu Bimetallic Catalysts For Low Temperature CO2 Hydrogenation To Methanol
Authors: Din Israf Ud , Alotaibi Mshari A. , Naeem A. , Alharthi Abdulrahman I. , Al-Shalwi Matar N. , Alshehri Feras
Published: March 2022

In this study, zeolite based Cu-Co bimetallic catalysts were synthesized by green deposition precipitation method. To investigate the optimum metal-metal ratio, catalysts with different Cu-Co metal weigh ratios were studied. XRD analysis revealed deposition of highly dispersed Cu-Co metal oxides on the surface of zeolite support. The nitrogen adsorption-desorption studies showed that surface area of Cu-Co bimetallic catalysts was slightly decreased by increasing Cu content in bimetallic catalysts. Temperature program reduction studies exhibited synergism between the Cu-Co metals which resulted variation in reduction behavior of zeolite based bimetallic catalysts. Temperature program desorption investigations showed the existence of three types of basic sites on the surface of zeolite based Cu-Co bimetallic catalysts. Activity profiles of zeolite based Cu-Co bimetallic catalysts were examined for low temperature CO2 hydrogenation to methanol in slurry reactor. The activity studies documented enhancement in methanol synthesis rate from 7.5 to 25. 6 g/Kgcat. h by increasing the Cu content in catalysts. Based on the physico-chemicals findings and activity data, structure-activity patterns were elaborated in details.
The incidence, risk factors and outcomes of impaired cerebral autoregulation in aortic arch surgery: a single-center, retrospective cohort study
Authors: Peng Ling , Guo Dan , Shi Yinhui , Yang Jiapei , Wei Wei
Published: March 2022

Backgroundː Impairment of cerebral autoregulation (CA) has been observed in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), but little is known about its risks and associations with outcomes. The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence and risks of impaired CA, based on cerebral oximetry index (COx), in patients undergoing total aortic arch replacement with CPB and moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest (MHCA). We also evaluated the association between impaired CA and patient outcomes.Methodsː One hundred fifteen four adult patients who underwent total aortic arch replacement with stented elephant trunk implantation under CPB and MHCA at our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were defined as having new-onset impaired CA if post-CPB COx > 0.3, calculated based on a moving linear correlation coefficient between regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2) and mean blood pressure (MAP). Pre- and intraoperative factors were tested for independent association with impaired CA. Postoperative outcomes were compared between patients with normal and impaired CA.Resultsː In our 154 patients, 46(29.9%) developed new-onset impaired CA after CPB with MHCA. Multivariate analysis revealed a prolonged low rScO2 (rScO2 <55%) independently associated with onset of impaired CA, and receiver operating charactoristic curve showed a cutoff value at 40 min (sensitivity, 89.5%; specificity, 68.0%). Compared with normal CA patients, those with impaired CA showed a significantly higher rates of in-hospital mortality and postoperative complications.Conclusionː Prolonged low rScO2 (rScO2 <55%) during aortic arch surgery was closely related to onset of impaired CA. Impaired CA remained associated with the increased rates of postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality.Trial registration: ChiCTR1800014545 with registered date 20/01/2018.
Toxicity Ranking of European Industrial Facilities
Authors: Erhart Szilard , Erhart Kornél
Published: March 2022

Here, we present a methodology to improve environmental assessment of Europe based facilities, industries and regions by linking the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and the USEtox, a scientific consensus model for characterizing human and ecotoxicological impacts of chemicals. Such environmental assessment is an increasingly important need in policy and finance. In this paper we measure human, cancer and non-cancer toxicity and ecotoxicity risks of more than 10,000 companies from point source pollutant releases in Europe from 2007 to 2017. We discuss water and air emissions of dozens of pollutants in urban, rural, coastal and inland areas. There are clusters of toxicity in the most industrialized regions of North-England, North-Italy, the German Ruhr-area, South-Poland, in the Benelux states, and in coastal areas of Spain, Portugal and Nordic countries. There is an overlap of areas of the largest emissions of human toxicity and ecotoxicity. We confirm toxicity potential of major pollutants in previous research papers (Hg accounting for 71% of the total human toxicity and Zn accounting for 55% of total ecotoxicity). Human toxicity is estimated to be mostly non-cancer type in Europe. Companies in the electricity production sector are estimated to have the largest human toxicity potential (52% of total) in the European Union 2017 and companies in the sewerage sector have the largest ecotoxicity impact potential (41%). Total human toxicity almost halved from 2001 to 2017, although the downward trend reversed in 2016. Ecotoxicity increased by 20% in the same period. A key advantage of our methodology and indicators is that they can be used to measure progress towards the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals and the environmental objectives in the EU Taxonomy regulation on the company facility level and regionally.
Effects of Autologous Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) Therapy on Wound Healing in Dogs
Authors: Soares Carla S. , Dias Isabel R. , Pires Maria A. , Carvalho Pedro P.
Published: March 2022

Background: Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), also recognized as leukocyte-rich-PRF, is a recent platelet-based biomaterial, pointed as an innovative regenerative strategy for the treatment of wounds, from different etiologies. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of autologous PRF as a regenerative therapy for the treatment of skin wounds of multiple etiology, in dogs. The authors postulated that autologous PRFs could be successfully used as a biocompatible patch to increase the physiologic wound regeneration, acting as a biological antiseptic biomaterial, in spontaneous open large or chronic wounds in dogs. Eight dogs, aged between 7-months to 9-year-old, with naturally occurring cutaneous wounds were enrolled in this study. Four of these wounds were infected. The PRF treatment was initially performed two times per week, followed by single weekly treatments from the second week onwards, until exophytic granulation tissue was present. The study was finalized when complete wound closure was achieved. Results: PRF grafting treatments were well tolerated in all treated wounds, inducing significant granulation tissue formation. PRF clots acted as a natural tissue-filler, promoting the epithelization and wound closure, without the requirement of topical antimicrobial/antiseptics application, or additional debridement. Evident skin contraction was recorded in larger injuries and all the treatments resulted in vestigial aesthetic scars.Conclusions: The PRF therapy constitutes a promising regenerative treatment, accelerating the natural healing process.
Evaluation of the Mutagenic and Antimutagenic Activity of Chlorella Vulgaris in a Test of Allium Cepa
Authors: Messias Inalda Maria de Oliveira , Beltrão Gerusa Tomaz  de Aquino , Oliveira Giselly Thais da Silva , de Andrade Lúcio Arantes , Silva Silvana de Fátima Ferreira da , Messias Júlio Brando , Ferreira Adriano Gomes , Bezerra Raquel Pedrosa , Marques Daniela Araújo Viana , Porto Ana Lúcia Figueiredo
Published: March 2022

The microalgae Chlorella vulgaris is usually commercialized as nutraceutical althoughit has potential application in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Therefore, our objective in this research is to evaluate the mutagenic and antimutagenic action of the aqueous extract of Chlorella vulgaris through the Allium cepa assay. Three concentrations of the aqueous extract of Chlorella vulgaris were tested: 0.075, 0.15 and 0.30mg/mL. In the mutagenicity analysis, Allium cepa meristematic cells were cultured in the presence of the aqueous extract of Chlorella vulgaris with distilled water as negative control and copper sulfate as positive control. For antimutagenicity, pre-treatment, simple simultaneous and post-treatment protocols were used. 400 cells/treatment were analyzed under optical microscopy (40x). Data were analyzed by ANOVA (one-way) and Tukey tests, considering p < 0.05. The aqueous extract of Chlorella vulgaris did not show mutagenicity in any of the three concentrations evaluated. About the antimutagenicity protocols, the harm reduction percentages were 94.7%, 94.1% and 96.2% (pre-treatment); 88.9%, 93.2% and 91.08% (simultaneous simple); and 85.2%, 84.5% and 94.7% (post-treatment) referring to concentrations of 0.075, 0.15 and 0.30 mg/mL, respectively. According to these results, the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris did not show mutagenic action at the tested doses and it reduced genetic damage caused by copper sulfate.
Antifungal Activities of Artesunate, Chloramphenicol, and Co-trimoxazole in Comparison to Standard Antifungal Agents against Basidiobolus Species
Authors: Al-Qahtani Saleh M. , Joseph Martin R.P. , Al-Hakami Ahmed M. , Asseri Ali A. , Shati Ayed A. , Mathew Anjali , Bshabshe Ali Al , Alhumayed Suliman , Hamid Mohamed E.
Published: March 2022

Background: Basidiobolomycosis, which is caused by pathogenic Basidiobolus species, is a rare fungal infection affecting the skin and gastrointestinal tract, which is mainly reported from tropical and subtropical regions. There is evidence that 'unconventional' antifungal drugs affect some fungal species. The current study intended to assess the in vitro effect of non-antifungal drugs, namely, artesunate, chloramphenicol, and co-trimoxazole in comparison to amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, metronidazole, and voriconazoleon in comparison to amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, metronidazole, and voriconazoleon on representative medically significant fungi. Methods: Basidiobolus species (n =13) isolated from human gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis and lizards were tested against artesunate, chloramphenicol, and co-trimoxazole. The antimicrobial assay was done using the agar diffusion method. The broth microdilution method was performed with a two-fold serial dilution of each antimicrobial agent to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The nonparametric Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. analyzed the mean difference between inhibitory measures between the drugs. Results: The three agents exhibited inhibitory actions against Basidiobolus species comparable to the known antifungals. The combined effects of artesunate + voriconazole and co-trimoxazole + voriconazole have significant synergic effects, p = 0.003 and p = 0.021, respectively. Conclusions: This study showed that non-antifungal agents were active against Basidiobolus species. These are promising results that enhance the accelerated combined treatment of GIB in humans, particularly the combination of artesunate and voriconazole.
Spatiotemporal Change in Groundwater Sustainability of Bangladesh for the Period 1995-2019
Authors: Fahim Abul Kashem Faruki , Kamal A S M Maksud , Shahid Shamsuddin
Published: March 2022

Groundwater is gradually becoming scarce in Bangladesh like many other countries around the globe due to various climatic, hydrological, and socio-economic changes. This study aimed to assess the spatiotemporal changes in groundwater availability and sustainability in Bangladesh. The study employed weekly groundwater table (GWT) data from 844 groundwater observation wells of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) from 1995 to 2019. Mann-Kendall (M-K) test at 95% significance level and the Sen's slope estimator were used to assess the spatiotemporal variations in GWT, and the reliability-resiliency-vulnerability (RRV) approach was applied for evaluating sustainability. In addition, the yearly trends in RRV indicators and sustainability were estimated. The results revealed the mean GWT is low in the northwest and central regions. The GWT is declining almost all over the country, particularly in the areas where it is already low by 0.548-1.398 m/year. The groundwater showed remarkably poor sustainability for most of the areas. It also showed a declining trend over a large area in the central north. The analysis of results through the scrutiny of irrigated land and population distribution of the country revealed higher abstraction of groundwater for irrigation and domestic supply are the major cause of declining GWT in the northwest and central regions of the country. The study provided an understanding of the changes in groundwater and its sustainability which can be used as a guide for sustainable management of groundwater and contribute to drawing up future groundwater policies.